Hi Brian
The note you have is a Governments Note Five Pound. The One Pound and Five Pound are the more commom notes and one could very easily find them in excellent condition. The note you have unfortunately, is not in great shape and thus the value affected drastically by this. At best, in that condition one would pay about R50-R75. I will try and post some pictures of all denominations that were issued. Here is an extract from the book, Papewr Currency of the Anglo Boer War on the notes......
By May 1900 the ZAR Government was forced to issue emergency bank notes to Government employees and for purchasing military supplies. On 28 May, ten days before the British occupied Pretoria, Law No 1 of the South African Republic proclaimed that banknotes up to a total of £1,000,000 were to be issued. They were to be in denominations of £1 upwards, secured by the fixed property of the state at 6% interest per annum.
On 1 July 1900 by proclamation No 8, the British refused to recognise notes issued or to be issued in the future under Law No 1, when presented for payment. Their only value from this date would be evidence of war losses. The Revd H.J Batts gives details of the currency problems in his book “Pretoria from within the War” Chapter VI:
Those officials who had been paid their salaries in the greenbacks (the name given to the green printed Pretoria notes) that the Government had recently issued began to feel uncomfortable. Gold they knew was in quantities in the Mint, and expected that those notes would be redeemed, but now they began to despair and to feel they had been robbed of their due. Many had only been able to live from day to day on their greatly reduced salaries, fro at the beginning of the war great reductions had to be made in every department, and they found that no banks would take their paper money, and none of the stores would receive it in payment of accounts due.
Note of the first issue from Pretoria were all dated 28-5-1900, which was the same date that Law No 1 was proclaimed. They were issued in denominations of £1, £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100 and to make them valid, they had to bear the embossed seal of the South African Republic. Before they were issued, they were also machine numbered, hand dated (by at least four different persons) and then all hand signed by both J.S Marais the Auditor-General and N.S Malherbe the Treasurer-General.
There were two different printing of the £1 and £5 notes, the types differing in the ornamental design of the left hand panel surrounding the crest of the Republic, as well as in the design below the worded denomination. In Type I the panel shows alternate stars and crosses and has a plain design below the written value. Type II has in the panel small spikes facing upwards in an inverted club shape design and a rosette pattern under the value. A third variety exists on the two lower value notes where some have No. printed in black before the number. Two different numbering machines were used: the one with the letters No. is 4.5mm high and was applied by a printing machine, the one without No. is 6mm and was applied by hand (the number position is not the same on all notes). The £10 and £20 notes, although both same design, are found either with or without No. while the £50 and £100 all show the No. prefix.
The notes were all printed with grey/green ink on mostly good quality cream coloured paper, measuring approximately 210 X 115 mm. Although the notes rarely have a watermark, some are known with Colony of Cape of Good Hope.
The wording on the front of the note reads, translated into English from Dutch
Governments Note
**** POUND
The Government of the South African Republic promises to pay the bearer of this note **** Pound Sterling, according to Law No 1, 1900, of which Articles 2 and 3 are printed on the reverse of this note. This note is guaranteed by all fixed properties of the State as defined in Law No 1.
The wording on the reverse of the note reads
Article 2. These notes will have a fixed rate until they are redeemed, their redemption will be conducted by means of a draw, the details of which will be made known later, and will commence on 1st June 1901, when a sum of £100,000 sterling will be redeemed, which will be repeated on 1st June 1901 each year with an amount of £100,000 sterling until the total amount is redeemed. As soon as a note is taken out of circulation and repaid, it will be destroyed by the Treasurer General and Auditor General in the presence of two people appointed by the Government.
Article 3. These notes will bear an interest rate of six per cent per annum, payable to the holder in cash every first of June, for the previous year, at the office of the Treasurer General or at a bank appointed by proclamation.
Regards
Anthony Govender
