Catalog
2 Shillings Emergency issue, Series A
| Issuer | Government of Gibraltar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Currency | Pound (1914-1971) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Gibraltar, 6th August, 1914. 2/- (Dos Chelines.) The Government of Gibraltar hereby declares this Note to be of the value of TWO SHILLINGS and to be legal tender for that amount, and undertakes to redeem the said note in sterling money for the full face value at a date to be fixed hereafter by His Excellency the Governor. Colonial Treasurer. N.B. - This note is issued under the provisions of Ordinance 10 of 1914, and is secured by the said Ordinance on the assets and general Revenue of the Colony. |
| Reverse description | Reverse is entirely unprinted, left plain on the cream paper stock with no text, vignette, or ornamentation of any kind. |
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| Comments |
The Gibraltar 2 Shillings of 1914 is one of the earliest emergency currency issues from a British Crown Colony, produced in direct response to the financial disruption that followed the outbreak of the First World War. The British Treasury's Currency and Bank Notes Act of August 1914 triggered a cascade of local emergency measures across British territories, and Gibraltar moved quickly — this Series A note preceded most formal colonial currency legislation.
Extremely few examples are known to survive. The note's low face value meant heavy handling and rapid deterioration in circulation, and no systematic effort was made to preserve remainder stocks.