Memento of the Great War - 4th August 1914 - Tinnie celebrating the Birth of the Treasury One Pound Note or Bradbury!

The gold standard was suspended at the outbreak of the war in 1914, with Bank of England and Treasury notes becoming legal tender as a subsititute for scarce gold coins.

The First World War (1914-18) placed great demands on Britain's gold supply: the Government needed gold to meet the costs of the war, and the public tended to hoard gold as private security in this time of uncertainty. This depleted the circulation of gold sovereigns and half sovereigns (coins worth one pound and ten shillings, respectively). To supplement the scarce coinage, the British Treasury began to issue paper notes for these amounts.

The first pound notes were issued on 7 August 1914, only three days after war was declared. Because they were produced in a such a hurry, the printing and design were very simple, and a more elegant note was issued in October 1914. The notes were signed by Sir John Bradbury, Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, and they were soon nicknamed 'Bradburys'. Later issues carried more elaborate designs, printed in colour with larger, patriotic images of St George and the Dragon and Britannia.

Treasury notes continued to be produced until 1928, when the Bank of England took over responsibility for issuing the one pound and ten shilling notes.

An usual and scarce item of WW1 memorabilia. Pin is original and whilst it is in good condition, it looks its age.

Code: 52603