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Falklands (1901) 5 shillings and (1899) £1 bills on sale at London’s Spink’s

Monday, September 9th 2013 - 02:04 UTC
Full article 13 comments
The two bills were sent in an envelope from Argentina: ‘Billetes Islas Malvinas’ The two bills were sent in an envelope from Argentina: ‘Billetes Islas Malvinas’

Two Falkland Islands bills will go on sale at Spink’s London World Bank Notes next October 2-4, which are considered to be of great interest for British Empire and/or low serial number enthusiasts.

The two items are : Falkland Islands, five shillings, Jan. 12, 1901 A/1 00001, P-A1; and Falkland Islands, £1 Oct. 16, 1899, serial number A/1 00001, P-A3.

According to Spink’s the two items arrived from Argentina in an envelope marked Billetes Islas Malvinas.

The Argentine central bank at times has reported that it holds in its vaults a collection of Falklands’ currency which allegedly was taken from the Islands during the 1982 conflict when the Islands were invaded and militarily occupied by Argentina during 74 days until recovered by the British Task Force. During that period of time the pound was replaced by the Argentine Peso as the local currency.

Britain introduced the pound to the Falklands when it reasserted sovereignty over the islands in 1833. It issued paper currency denominated in Falkland pounds - on a par with the pound sterling - between 1899 and 1901. Denominations were five and 10 shillings, one and five pounds, P-A1 to P-A4.

The two notes on offer are hence the first paper monies for the Islands in their respective denominations. Each carries the manuscript signatures of the three Commissioners of Currency in the year of issue. Each will go to the block with an estimate of £8,000-10,000.

The two Falkland’s notes are part of the general Spink sale that will be conducted on Oct. 2-3. It consists of approximately 2,000 lots. Besides the Falklands’ issues, two other rarities may help whet the appetite of any jaded collector: an extremely rare Sarawak $25 that was absent for the Frank Goon collection (Spink, April 2012), and a consecutive un-circulated Indian two rupee eight annas pair.

The two carry estimates of £8,000-10,000 and £6,000-8,000, respectively.

Yet to be catalogued are items from one of those most excellent old-time collections, that of long time International Bank Note Society member John Glynn, and the Alan Cole collection of Romania. On Oct. 4 700 lots from the Ibrahim Salem collection of Africa will go to the block. These include a historically important sub-collection of issues associated with Patrice Lumumba who Ibrahim knew personally.

But there’s more. The Oct. 4 catalogue also contains 300 lots from the Bermuda holdings of David J. Saul. Among the many rarities in his collection are seven with serial number A 000001. These include the five shillings, 10 shillings, £1 and £5 of 1952 that Barnaby suspects are probably the best examples extant of these four denominations.

And for Caribbean aficionados who believe they have everything, the Saul collection contains a number of notes with manuscript signatures plus a 1943 10/- and £1 pair with the Kelly signature - unknown until now.
 

Top Comments

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  • Frank

    In the museum that has been set up in the old presidio in Ushuaia there is one rather disgusting display of items looted from a private house in Stanley. ... neatly laid out together with the name of the looter.

    These looted banknotes should be treated in the same way as artworks stolen from the jews by the Nazis would be treated if someone tried to auction them........

    Mind you I can understand the RG desire to cash them in... they would be worth a lot more than any RG banknote from any era....

    Sep 09th, 2013 - 02:32 am 0
  • lsolde

    l'm sure l read somewhere that the Falkland Pound or the Pound Sterling was the accepted currency, in the late 19th & early 20th century of Patagonia & some other parts of South America.
    l read a book once about the Jaguar hunters from Brazil accepting Pounds for their Jaguar pelts.

    Sep 09th, 2013 - 04:41 am 0
  • RedBaron

    If the RGs confirm they have stolen banknotes and other items and if the Falklands' government/Treasury can verify that these notes were indeed held prior to 1982, shouldn't FIG immediqtely contact Spink and tell them to withdraw the items from the sale? Anyone who buys these items is surely at risk of having them seized (and maybe also of handling stolen goods!)

    Sep 09th, 2013 - 04:55 am 0
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