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2 Shillings 6 Pence - British Military Authority
| Issuer | British Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1947 |
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| Value | 2 Shillings 6 Pence (1/8) |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a crowned lion passant guardant surmounting a royal crown, with the denomination numeral flanking the device on either side. The issuing authority legend arches above in capital letterpress text. The overall design is set against a fine guilloche underprint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ISSUED BY THE BRITISH MILITARY AUTHORITY TWO SHILLINGS SIX PENCE 2/6 |
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| Comments |
The British Military Authority notes were produced for use in territories occupied or liberated by British forces during and after the Second World War — North Africa, Italy, and parts of Northwest Europe among them. Keeping military spending segregated from local civilian currency was the practical objective: a soldier paid in BMA notes couldn't easily destabilize a fragile postwar economy, and the notes could be declared worthless overnight if counterfeiting or black-market leakage became unmanageable.
De La Rue printed the series under wartime conditions, and the relatively long validity window — 1942 through 1947 — reflects just how drawn-out the occupation and reconstruction period became.