Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Shillings - British Armed Forces 1st series
| Issuer | British Armed Forces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1946 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Green guilloche underprint with a large central rosette vignette bearing the numeral '5/-' in each corner. The denomination 'FIVE SHILLINGS' is printed in bold letterpress across the centre, with the title 'BRITISH ARMED FORCES SPECIAL VOUCHER' at the top and issuing authority at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BRITISH ARMED FORCES SPECIAL VOUCHER FOR USE ONLY AS DETAILED ON THE REVERSE FIVE SHILLINGS ISSUED BY COMMAND OF THE ARMY COUNCIL |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
British Armed Forces Special Vouchers were introduced specifically to prevent servicemen from spending sterling in occupied or economically fragile territories — ordinary currency would have fed black markets and destabilized local exchange rates. The 1st series, issued from 1946, circulated among British forces in postwar Germany, Austria, the Middle East, and elsewhere where sterling control was a practical military concern.
BAFSV issues were periodically replaced when a series became compromised through black market infiltration, effectively demonetizing the outstanding stock at short notice. That mechanism makes intact survivors from early series relatively uncommon.