Catalog
4 Shillings
| Issuer | Bahamas Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Shillings (1/5) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Black letterpress print on a green guilloche underprint, with red serial number bearing prefix A or no prefix. A donkey cart vignette occupies the left portion, flanked at centre by the colonial ship seal and at right by a bush vignette. The text panel carries the statutory promise to pay and dual commissioner signature lines. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#2a - signature at left: Grant P#2b - signature at left: Burns |
| Comments |
The Bahamas Government issued this 4 Shilling note under wartime financial pressure — the denomination itself is unusual, chosen to align with the US dollar at the then-current exchange rate of roughly one dollar to four shillings, facilitating transactions with American visitors and merchants at a time when US currency was increasingly the practical tender of choice throughout the Caribbean.
The Canadian Bank Note Company in Ottawa printed the series. P#2 is scarce in any grade; the small population of the islands and limited printing runs kept quantities low, and tropical humidity has destroyed a disproportionate share of survivors.