5 Pounds

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.