Catalog
5 Pounds
| Issuer | Government of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pounds |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed on brown paper in dark brown letterpress throughout, the note carries a dense block of legal tender text occupying the central field, authorizing the issue under Ordinance No. VIII of 1914 and stating convertibility into gold at the Treasury. The serial number appears to the left of the text block, while an embossed seal of Malta is applied at center, providing the principal security and official character to the face. The denomination is stated in words at both the head and foot of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Embossed seal |
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| Comments |
Malta's earliest government-issued paper currency came about because the island's commercial banks were not trusted to manage wartime monetary supply. The 1914 notes were issued under emergency authority at the outbreak of the First World War, when specie hoarding created an immediate small-denomination shortage — though a 5-pound note addressed the other end of the problem, replacing gold sovereigns that had vanished from circulation within weeks of hostilities beginning.
The embossed seal was the sole mechanical security feature, a notably minimal approach even by the standards of colonial treasury notes of the period.