Catalog
5 Dollars - George VI Red
| Issuer | Government of British Honduras |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947-1952 |
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| Size | 156 × 68 mm |
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| Obverse description | Red intaglio print on a multicolour guilloche underprint, with red serial numbers. A front-facing portrait vignette of King George VI occupies the right side of the note, while the Coat of Arms of British Honduras is positioned at left. The issuing authority title and denomination are rendered in letterpress alongside the legal tender clause and commissioners' signatures. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH HONDURAS THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT FIVE DOLLARS For the GOVERNMENT of BRITISH HONDURAS BELIZE, 1st NOVEMBER, 1949. COMMISSIONERS OF CURRENCY $5 SUB • UMBRA • FLOREO (Translation: I flourish in the shade.) |
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| Comments |
British Honduras had no central bank until 1976 — throughout this period, note issue fell to the colonial government directly, an arrangement that kept the Currency Commissioner, rather than any banking institution, as the signatory authority. The red color of this five-dollar series distinguished it from the earlier green-tinted issues and helped tellers sort denominations under poor lighting conditions in smaller trading posts and coastal settlements.
De La Rue's production records show the series spanned five years under a single pick number, meaning notes from the early 1947 printings and those from 1952 share the same catalog entry despite potentially different signature combinations — a detail that matters to specialists working date-signature pairings.