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2 Shillings 6 Pence - British Military Authority
| Issuer | British Military Authority |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1947 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Shillings 6 Pence (⅛) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a crowned lion passant guardant atop a royal crown, with the denomination in words flanking the device. Issuing authority legend appears above in letterpress. Fine guilloche underprint frames the composition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central numeral denomination '2/6' set within an oval guilloche cartouche, surrounded by elaborate acanthus scrollwork engraving. The border consists of intricate lathework in violet and olive tones, with foliate corner ornaments at each angle. |
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| Comments |
The British Military Authority notes were introduced for use by Allied forces in territories liberated or occupied during and after the Second World War, specifically to prevent local currency from being drained by military spending and to control black market exchange. The 2/6 denomination is the fractional oddity of the series — practical for everyday transactions among troops, awkward enough that it saw heavier use than the pound denominations and survived in collectible condition far less often.
De La Rue printed the series in London under wartime conditions, with distribution spanning theatres as geographically scattered as Italy, the Middle East, and East Africa. The RM prefix in the Pick reference system reflects the distinct cataloguing of military issues separate from civilian emissions.