Catalog
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| Issuer | British Armed Forces / Army Council |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Shillings 6 Pence |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green and pink voucher with a fine guilloche border framing the entire note. The denomination '2/6' appears in large numerals at both left and right margins, with a central vignette of thistle sprays flanking the large pink overprinted numeral '2/6' in the centre. The legend 'BRITISH ARMED FORCES SPECIAL VOUCHER' runs across the top, with 'TWO SHILLINGS SIXPENCE' in bold letterspacing across the lower centre, and '3RD SERIES' noted below the central device. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries the conditions of use and redemption instructions for the Special Voucher, set within a guilloche border consistent with the obverse design, printed in green on pale paper. |
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| Comments |
British Armed Forces Special Vouchers were introduced to control black market currency exchange among troops stationed overseas — sterling-equivalent scrip that could be invalidated and replaced series-by-series if a particular issue was being systematically exploited. The 1956 series, of which this is a part, circulated in BAOR (British Army of the Rhine) garrisons and various Middle Eastern postings during a period of acute sensitivity around hard currency outflows.
De La Rue's involvement kept production tight and counterfeiting difficult, but the real security mechanism was administrative: vouchers were tied to individual pay accounts, and possession of an out-of-series issue by a soldier was itself grounds for investigation.