Catalog
5 Shillings - George V
| Issuer | Commonwealth of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1788-1966) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 SHILLINGS AUSTRALIAN NOTE 5 S/- THE TREASURER OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PROMISES TO PAY THE BEAR FIVE SHILLINGS STERLING ON DEMAND AT THE COMMONWEALTH TREASURY AT THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT 5 S/• FIVE SHILLINGS |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | FIVE SHILLINGS |
| 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 |
Australia's first Commonwealth note issue — the series that replaced the private bank circulation following the Australian Notes Act of 1910 — didn't include a 5 Shilling denomination at the outset. This note was added in 1916, driven largely by the wartime coin shortage that was draining silver from circulation across the British Empire. The 5 Shilling piece filled the gap left by the hoarded florin and crown coinage.
T. S. Harrison printed the series entirely in Melbourne, making Australia one of the few countries at the time producing its own government paper domestically from the start. Pick #1 is the first assigned reference in the Australian Commonwealth sequence — a designation that overstates its rarity somewhat, as many examples survived in collector hands from early on.