Catalog
10 Shillings
| Issuer | Government of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 102 × 81 mm |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Brown note with dark brown letterpress text and a reddish-brown guilloche underprint. The British Coat of Arms appears at the top centre above the authorising ordinance text, with the value TEN SHILLINGS rendered in large letters across the underprint. An embossed seal of Malta occupies the centre, and the serial number is positioned to the left margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 10s. 10s. GOVERNMENT OF MALTA Issued under authority of Ordinance No. VIII of 1914 assented to by His Excellency the Governor with the special permission of His Majesty the King. TEN SHILLINGS By Command, JOHN E. CLAUSON, Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Secretary to Govt. August 12, 1914. 10s. 10s. |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Malta's 1914 emergency currency was a direct consequence of the First World War's disruption to coin supplies across British colonial territories. The British government authorized local administrations to issue low-denomination paper notes to fill the gap left by hoarded or unavailable coinage — this 10 Shillings note is among the earliest surviving examples of Maltese government paper money.
The embossed seal was the sole anti-counterfeiting measure, a remarkably minimal specification even by 1914 colonial standards. Pick 3 is genuinely scarce; the small island population and limited print run, combined with wartime attrition, left few survivors in any grade.