Sorry! This 1933 Five Pound Riddle/Sheehan R44A about VF has sold.
1933 Five Pound Riddle/Sheehan R44A about VF
This Depression-era five pound had huge purchasing power when it was issued.
| We Last Sold This Item For: | $1,050.00 |
|---|---|
| Last Sold On: | 5/6/2022 |
| # Sold In Past 12 Months: | 0 |
Recent Sales in this Category
1933 Five Pound Riddle/Sheehan R44A about VF
Front: George V at left, national coat of arms at right
Back: Commerce scene in bas-relief at left
Period on Issue: December 14th 1933 ~ March 10th 1939
This Depression-era five pound had huge purchasing power when it was issued.
Following the advent of the Great Depression, Australia (and many other Western nations) went off the gold standard.
From mid 1933 onwards, Australia's circulating paper currency was "legal tender", rather than redeemable in gold coins.
The "Legal Tender" series of 4 pre-decimal banknotes shows the portrait of King George V on the front of the note, and the portrait of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) as a watermark.
The reverse of each of the "Legal Tender" banknotes features a sketch highlighting an important area of the Australian economy. The reverse of the Legal Tender five pound note depicts "Commerce".
There are two varieties of the Legal Tender Five Pound note - those featuring a "pink" face of King George V, and those featuring a "white" face of King George V.
This change in appearance is due to the removal of cross-hatching from the oval pane that contained the King's portrait.
As can be expected for a high denomination note that was issued at the very depths of the Great Depression, the Legal Tender Five Pound is incredibly hard to obtain in premium condition.
The average weekly wage in 1933 was just 4 pounds, and the unemployment rate was just shy of 20%. A five pound note was therefore a huge amount of money at that time then.
Just 11 million of these notes were printed, we can presume that the vast majority of them were worn through use and destroyed shortly after they were issued.
SKU: 3086
Browse our catalog of Five Pounds below:
Related Articles
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.