Catalog
5 Pounds
| Issuer | Government of St. Helena |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976-1981 |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, United Kingdom |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Government of St. Helena £5 Promise to pay bearer on demand the sum of FIVE POUNDS £5 CURRENCY COMMISSIONERS |
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| Reverse lettering | AUSPICIO REGIS ET SENATUS ANGLIÆ £5 (Translation: Under the Auspices of the King and the Senate of England) |
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| Comments |
St. Helena's first independent currency series — issued following the 1976 Saint Helena Pound Act, which finally severed the island's monetary dependence on the South African Rand after decades of awkward colonial arrangement. Thomas De La Rue handled the entire series from their London works, as they had for most British dependent territories throughout this period.
The island's extreme isolation and tiny population meant circulation figures were correspondingly small, and notes that saw genuine daily use are harder to find than those that were pocketed by visiting sailors or postal workers as curiosities the day they were issued.