5 Piastres

Egypt's small-denomination government notes of this period were issued under British occupation, with the Egyptian Government — rather than the National Bank of Egypt — serving as the nominal authority for low-value paper. The distinction mattered politically: the National Bank held the prestige issues while the government series handled the fractional denominations that silver coin shortages had made necessary, particularly acute during the war years when metal coinage was being hoarded or melted across the region.

Bradbury Wilkinson produced the plate work in London. Wartime shipping and supply disruptions meant delivery and distribution could lag well behind the date of printing.