5 Shillings - British Armed Forces 1st series

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.