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10 Shillings - George V Treasury issue, 2nd series
| Issuer | HM Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1915 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Red letterpress on white paper. An engraved portrait of King George V occupies the upper left, while the upper right bears a vignette of St. George and the Dragon engraved by George Eve. The face carries extensive typeset legal tender text, the denomination in both words and figures, and the statutory authority citation, all arranged within a plain border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, left entirely blank in plain white paper, consistent with the wartime austerity production of this HM Treasury emergency currency issue. Show-through of the obverse printing is visible on heavily circulated examples. |
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| Comments |
The Treasury's decision to issue its own currency notes in 1914 — bypassing the Bank of England entirely — was an emergency measure, rushed through Parliament in a single day at the outbreak of war. The first series of 10 Shilling notes were printed so hastily that quality control suffered badly, and the 1915 second series was partly a corrective exercise.
George Eve, better known as a seal engraver to the Crown, brought a level of craft unusual for wartime emergency paper. The notes were signed by John Bradbury, then Permanent Secretary to the Treasury — giving this entire family of issues the lasting nickname "Bradburys" that collectors still use.