Gibraltar

Gibraltar new 10-shilling numismatic product (BNP102a) confirmed

To commemorate World Tourism in 2018, the Government of Gibraltar created an official replica of the 10-shilling note of 1934 (B112) with a nominal legal tender value of 50 pence, and sold by the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau for £2.50.

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Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson and Artem Shevchenko.

Gibraltar new 100-pound polymer commemorative note (B135) confirmed

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B135 (PNL): 100 pounds (US$142)
Purple. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; crenellated castle tower as registration device; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Crenellated castle tower; Sir Joshua Hassan. Depth Image holographic stripe. Watermark: None. Printer: (TDLR). 163 x 90 mm. Polymer (Safeguard).
a. 21st August 2015. Sig. 15. Intro: 23.01.2017.
This is the first note in the world with a holographic foil on the Safeguard substrate.
Replacement notes: Serial number above C 250000.

Courtesy of Hartmut Fraunhoffer (Banknote-Online) and Arnoldo Efron (Global Numismatic Services).


Gibraltar new 100-pound polymer commemorative note (B135) unveiled

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According to an article on Your Gibraltar TV dated 23 August 2016, this 100-pound banknote will be put into circulation in the second half of 2016. The note is dated 21 August 2015, the centenary of the birth of Sir Joshua Hassan. Nicknamed “Salvador” (Saviour), Sir Joshua was chief minister for a total of 22 years and is credited as being the most important architect of Gibraltar’s move towards self-determination.

Courtesy of Alex Zlotin.

Gibraltar new 100-pound polymer commemorative note to be issued in 2016

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According to a transcript of Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo speech, a new 100-pound banknote will be put into circulation in the first half of 2016. The note will be dated 21 August 2015, the centenary of the birth of Sir Joshua Hassan. Nicknamed "Salvador" (Saviour), Sir Joshua was chief minister for a total of 22 years and is credited as being the most important architect of Gibraltar’s move towards self-determination. The design of this, the first 100-pound note ever to be printed on polymer substrate, carries a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and a portrait of Sir Joshua on the other.

Press release: Gibraltar's Currency & Banknotes 1898-2011

Gibraltar's Currency & Banknotes 1898-2011
Gibraltar's Currency & Banknotes 1898-2011
by Richard J. M. Garcia, 109 pages, soft cover, 250 x 150 mm, color illustrations, English, ISBN 978-1-919663-09-8, US$24.95 (airmail postage included), braid@gibtelecom.net

Richard Garcia’s latest book addresses a topic that has never hitherto been studied, that of money in Gibraltar from 1898 to 2011. The choice of dates was deliberate. Gibraltar adopted sterling currency as the only legal tender in Gibraltar in 1898. It was in 2011 that the Gibraltar Government assumed sole responsibility for the design, printing and production of banknotes, taking over responsibilities that until then had been the preserve of a Secretary of State in England. A lot happened in between.

The book is not just about banknotes: it sets out to place Gibraltar’s currency in a social history context, looking at how Gibraltar was changing and developing and how these changes were reflected by our banknotes and coinage. It is the fruit of research in the Government Archives and in the Treasury. It explores a number of areas including:

  • Why Gibraltar adopted sterling currency in 1898. The accepted reason for this has hitherto been that it was the result of the inflation which accompanied the war of 1898 between Spain and the United States. This was not, in fact, the case.
  • Why Gibraltar chose to issue banknotes in 1914, at the time of the outbreak of World War I, and the procedure that was followed in arriving at the design of the banknotes and printing them, without previously having consulted London.
  • The financial crisis that arose on the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
  • What happened in Gibraltar during World War II in terms of demand for currency notes in the light of the evacuation, the feared invasion of Gibraltar, and the build-up of troops in Gibraltar.
  • The impact of the Spanish blockade of the 1960s and the eventual closure by Spain of the land frontier with Gibraltar and the withdrawal of Spanish labour.
  • The introduction of decimal currency in 1971.
  • The introduction of Gibraltar circulating coins.
  • The reasons for the subsequent issue of higher denomination currency notes.

There are 52 colour illustrations in the book. The design of the front and back of every design used for a Gibraltar banknote is depicted, including the rare notes of 1914. There is also a complete listing of all 73 currency notes issued by Gibraltar, indicating the date of issue of the note and the signature on it.

The book is a companion to the article written by Richard Garcia and which was published in the Gibraltar Heritage Trust journal, tracing Gibraltar’s currency from 1704 to 1872, when Spanish currency was adopted as Gibraltar’s only legal tender.

Check out other book reviews and news on the Books page of this site.

Gibraltar chapter of The Banknote Book is now available


The Gibraltar chapter of The Banknote Book is now available for individual sale and as a free download to subscribers.

This 11-page catalog covers notes issued by the Government of Gibraltar from 1914 to present. Revised 2 April 2016.

Each chapter of The Banknote Book includes detailed descriptions and background information, full-color images, and accurate valuations. The Banknote Book also features:
  • Sharp color images of note’s front and back without overlap
  • Face value or date of demonetization if no longer legal tender
  • Specific identification of all vignette elements
  • Security features described in full
  • Printer imprint reproduced exactly as on note
  • Each date/signature variety assigned an individual letter
  • Variety checkboxes for tracking your collection and want list
  • Date reproduced exactly as on note
  • Precise date of introduction noted when known
  • Replacement note information
  • Signature tables, often with names and terms of service
  • Background information for historical and cultural context
  • Details magnified to distinguish between note varieties
  • Bibliographic sources listed for further research

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Gibraltar new note family now complete

With the introduction of the £5, £20 and £100 denominations on 11 May 2011, Gibraltar’s new family of banknotes is now complete.



B30 (PNL): 5 pounds (US$7.20)
Green. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Upper Ward and Tower of Homage of the Moorish castle. Windowed security thread with demetalized 5. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £5, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2011. Signature 14. Intro: 11.05.2011.



B31 (PNL): 10 pounds (US$14.45)
Blue. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Artist John Trumbull’s “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar” depicting Spanish and English troops fighting and General George Eliott with officers attending to the dying Don José de Barboza during The Great Siege, 1779-83; General Eliot; rifles. Windowed security thread with demetalized 10. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £10, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). 141 x 75 mm. 1st JANUARY 2010. Sig. 14. Intro: 08.07.2010.



B32 (PNL): 20 pounds (US$28.90)
Orange and purple. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: HMS VICTORY RETURNING TO GIBRALTAR being towed by HMS Neptune after the Battle of Trafalgar. Windowed security thread with demetalized 20. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £20, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2011. Signature 14. Intro: 11.05.2011.


B33 (PNL): 50 pounds (US$72.25)
Red and brown. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Casemates Square buildings. Windowed security thread with demetalized 50. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £50, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2010. Sig. 14. Intro: 08.07.2010.



B34 (PNL): 100 pounds (US$144.50)
Purple. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: King’s Bastion. Optiks security thread. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £100, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions.
1st JANUARY 2011. Signature 14. Intro: 11.05.2011.


The above images come from the official Know Your New Gibraltar Banknotes PDF which contains additional information. The notes were released into circulation in two phases, the £10 and £50 on 08.07.2010 and the £5, £20 and £100 on 11.05.2011.

Courtesy of Marcus Jansson, Antje Ryberg, Ömer Yalcinkaya, and Hartmut Fraunhoffer.

Gibraltar scans needed for catalog

I am working on a new catalog of world notes and I need all the help I can get. If you have any of the notes listed below, please email 300-dpi, 100% actual size, 24-bit color scans of the front and back of these notes, saved as uncompressed JPEG, BMP, or TIFF. Please download and follow these detailed scanning instructions.

I am looking for 300-dpi images of the following banknotes of Gibraltar:

Pick 1-5, 7-11 all date varieties
P16 dated 1st June 1942 and 1st December 1949
P17 dated 3rd October 1958 with W&S imprint
P19 dated 3rd October 1958 with TDLR imprint
P19 dated 1st May 1965 with Title: Financial and Development Secretary
specimens

As a contributor, you will receive the satisfaction of taking part in creating something of excellence, your note will be immortalized as the plate note for the catalog, plus your name will appear in the Acknowledgements along with your email address or URL, if you wish.

Thanks in advance for everyone's cooperation!

Gibraltar new date (01.12.2006) notes confirmed


10 pounds (US$19.60), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P26, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).


20 pounds (US$39.25), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P27, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).


50 pounds (US$104.50), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P28, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).

Gibraltar has also issued new 20-pound notes with the same date and signature as above.

Courtesy of Morris Lawing and Christof Zellweger.