1928 Five Pound Riddle/Heathershaw R42 Extremely Fine
A crisp note with great body, colours and edges - clearly a superior example.
$3,950.00
1 In Stock
Recent Sales in this Category
1928 Five Pound Riddle/Heathershaw R42 Extremely Fine
Front: Denomination at centre and in each corner, national crest at left and George V at right.
Back: Captain Cook landing scene at centre, denomination at left and right.
Period on Issue: November 30th 1927 ~ January 1933.
A crisp note with great body, colours and edges - it is clearly a superior example.
In my experience, most pre-decimal note collectors start out by picking up the most attractive and affordable notes they can get - mainly from the Elizabeth II and George VI periods. As they develop confidence with the market, novice collectors slowly work their way progressively up the rarity and value scale.
Although there are a few scarcer notes in the Elizabeth II, George VI and George V legal tender series, the gold-bearing (Harrison) series of banknotes issued between 1922 and 1933 is the first series that really poses most collectors with a challenge.
The gold-bearing ten shilling and one pound notes are reasonably readily available, while the five-pound and ten pound notes are far more difficult to obtain, even in heavily circulated condition.
The gold-bearing series of notes were the last to be printed with relatively heavy paper, and they arguably feature a wider range of colours than all of the Australian pre-decimal notes that were printed from 1933 onwards. This particular five-pound note still retains the soft orange and mauve hues that all high-grade examples exhibit.
When you hold this crisp note in your hands, I swear you can actually feel the value it has!
The average weekly wage in 1928 was slightly more than £5, while the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that the equivalent amount today is just shy of $1,500. That is an incredible amount of purchasing power to have during the Great Depression that followed just a few short years after this note was printed.
I've long believed that it's either discipline or happenstance that sees high-value notes survive the decades intact - they're either set aside by families that have enough wealth to ride challenging times out, or they're lost down the back of a couch or similar safe storage place (an event no doubt accompanied by much cursing!).
Although I've handled rare and historic notes for a number of years now, I still marvel at just how a note with so much purchasing power can survive even in lightly circulated condition for close to nine decades - not only through the Great Depression, but World War II and the Korean War to name just a few challenging economic events.
Heavily circulated notes from this period generally have limp paper, with some degree of fluffing evident on the folds. The colours are faded and subdued, and the corners and edges are rounded. This particular example has strong paper, minimal folding, bold colours, and sharp edges and corners - it's easy to see that it's only circulated in a minor way.
Back in the heady days of the last banknote market boom, an R42 was a highly prized note to obtain. Examples in Extremely Fine condition or better really were very seldom seen and were always purchased by collectors that had been consistent in getting their KGVI and QEII notes in UNC only.
No matter how this note was set aside, it remains an attractive and rare example of Australian currency from the heady days of the Roaring Twenties - well worth adding to any superior collection of Australian notes.
SKU: 3061
Standard Shipping - $9.00
Signature is required on delivery
Express Shipping - $15.00
Signature is required on delivery
Free pick-up from store - $0.00
You're welcome to collect your order from our office (Shop 22; 27-35 William Street; Fremantle; 6160) during normal office hours. Please make sure to check we're open before you head on in!
| SKU | 3061 |
| Shipping Weight | 0.0500kg |
| Shipping Height | 0.001m |
| Assembled Length | 0.140m |
| Assembled Height | 0.001m |
| Assembled Width | 0.215m |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity, title and grade of every item we sell. The tax invoices we supply ensure that you have these guarantees in writing.
Please review our Website Terms and Conditions for a complete explanation of the guarantees we provide.
All items ship within 24 hours of confirmed payment being received.
Please review our Website Terms and Conditions for a complete explanation of our availability guarantee.
All orders are delivered via trackable and insured mail at a flat rate of $9 for orders within Australia, and $25 internationally.
Australia Post Parcel Post within Australia can take up to 1 week to arrive, while EMS / ECI international mail can take up to 3 weeks.
Urgent orders can be sent via Australia Post Express Mail at special request.
Please review our Website Terms and Conditions for a complete explanation of our delivery guarantee.
Be The First To Review This Product!
Help other Sterling and Currency users shop smarter by writing reviews for products you have purchased.
Related Articles
Browse our catalog of Five Pounds below:
Others Also Bought
More From This Category
I've taken my coins to Andrew a few times. Him and his staff are very nice people. Andrew is honest and down to earth. 👍
I have purchased several bulk lots of world coins from Sterling & Currency over the last few years. Read more...
I live on East Coast but prefer dealing with Andrew on the West due to his integrity, knowledge and prices, Read more...
Just purchased a 1966 blue case decimal mint set. Andrew gave me a ring to ensure it had arrived and provided Read more...
.jpg)
About the Sterling & Currency Team
The team at Sterling & Currency is a family affair – small but growing. Andrew Crellin is the main dealer in the business, click here to read this credentials and how he started with the Perth Mint; spent a decade in Sydney working with two leading dealers and relocated back to Perth in 2006.
Jo is our budding Numismatist, Chief Event officer, Photographer and Packing Extraordinaire. Natalie is our media creator and photographer. Nicole manages the accounts and is part of the Packing Team. A myriad of important duties are carried out by the team that include photography, website updates, office admin, and chocolate eating.
Ruby the Ridgeback quite frankly has learned nothing about coins, however contributes by barking at anyone wearing hi-viz.
We're Always Buying!
We need to buy tens of thousands of dollars worth of coins and notes each and every week of the year.
If you'd like to turn all or part of your collection into cash, get in touch with our expert staff and we'll be happy to start working on a deal with you.
Australian Gold Coins
We have extensive experience in handling all Australian gold soveriegns and halves, from the Adelaide Pounds of 1852 right through to the last coins of George V of 1931. All of the Australian gold coins in our online shop are described in detail with high resolution images.
Coins
At Sterling & Currency, we specialize in handling Australian coins dating from our nation's settlement in 1788 through to the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. We have an extensive range in our online store of Australian gold, copper and silver coins.
Decimal Coins
The Australian proof and UNC coins struck by the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint are the most accessible coins available to collectors today. If you're not able to find a particular coin that you're keen to add to your collection, let us know and we'll be contact you when it becomes available.