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5 Pounds National Bank
| Issuer | Currency Commission Ireland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929-1939 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company, London, United Kingdom |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central intaglio vignette presents a finely engraved panoramic view of St. Patrick's Bridge over the River Lee in Cork, with the city's skyline including church towers and merchant buildings rendered in precise detail against a cloud-filled sky. The vignette is set within an elaborate arched frame of dense guilloche lacework and acanthus scroll ornamentation, with large '£5' denomination cyphers positioned at the lower left and right within scrolled cartouches. A pale blue guilloche underprint extends across the entire reverse field. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
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| Comments |
The Currency Commission was itself an unusual institution — not a central bank but a statutory body established under the Currency Act of 1927, tasked with managing Ireland's new currency while maintaining a rigid one-for-one parity with sterling. The "Consolidated Banknote" series, of which this is a part, replaced the notes of eight separate Irish banks simultaneously, an administrative feat with no real precedent in post-independence currency transitions.
De La Rue's engraved printing held up well under circulation, but the series as a whole was superseded when the Central Bank of Ireland Act 1942 wound down the Commission's note-issuing role. Higher denominations like this one saw less daily handling and consequently survive in better average condition than the smaller values.