5 Shillings - George VI

By 1960, the Government of Jamaica had been issuing currency notes directly — rather than through a commercial bank — since the Currency Note Law of 1904. The 5 Shillings denomination sat at an awkward mid-range for daily commerce on the island, too large for routine market transactions but too small for substantial trade, which contributed to relatively heavy handling and wear in surviving examples of this series.

Jamaica would establish its own central bank in 1961 and achieve independence in 1962, making this a late issue of colonial-era government currency. The Pick 45 series was among the last to carry George VI's name on Jamaican paper — the king had died in 1952, and the continued royal cipher on colonial instruments well into the following decade reflects the slow administrative pace of currency redesign in dependent territories.