Catalog
5 Pounds
| Issuer | Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956-1961 |
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| Value | 5 Pounds |
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| Obverse description | At right, an intaglio portrait of Queen Elizabeth II faces left, while the coat of arms of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is positioned above centre. A vignette in the lower left combines a sable antelope with a view of Victoria Falls, and the denomination is rendered in large numerals at centre over a multicolour guilloche underprint. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a finely engraved intaglio vignette of Victoria Falls, with lush tropical vegetation and trees in the foreground rendered in characteristic blue-green tones. Denomination counters bearing the £5 numeral occupy all four corners, with the bank title running across the top centre and the value inscription contained within a panel at the base. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland was itself a short-lived institution, created in 1956 when the Central African Federation replaced the earlier separate colonial currency arrangements, and wound up in 1965 following the Federation's dissolution. This note spans nearly the entire life of that bank. The handover from Grafftey-Smith to Richards in January 1961 is striking in the signature dates — six dated issues crammed into eleven days, suggesting a deliberate effort to exhaust remaining stocks under the outgoing governor before the transition was complete.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed from their New Malden works, where high-denomination colonial issues of this period were a core part of the order book.