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Posted 10/22/2015 05:23 am
I think you are correct with that Agandau. Looking in my book "English Paper Money" it is normal for these notes from 1944 (with a prefix E01-L02) to bear 1945 in the watermark. They were not released till 1945 even though many bear 1944 dates.
There were 3 main security features to this note... the watermark (incorporating 5 numbers instead of 4 which was normal for Mahon notes), the paper type and metal thread... perhaps printing technique also is a clue to forgery.
The Germans produced many of these notes in operation Bernhard, seeking to destabilise us. These were good fakes (I wouldn't claim to be able to spot one) but they made a couple of mistakes. The watermark has wavy lines and where these line up with the bottom of the feet of the watermarks lettering is different, the Britannia seal can also offer clues to authenticity though I am not versed in what to look for.
Consider that these notes were not common tender, the average wage of the time being £2 per week. Great reward for forgery therefore but also great risk since I am sure since passing a note like this would have not gone un-noted and forgery was considered high treason (disloyalty to the crown) so could have been very heavily punished.
There were 3 main security features to this note... the watermark (incorporating 5 numbers instead of 4 which was normal for Mahon notes), the paper type and metal thread... perhaps printing technique also is a clue to forgery.
The Germans produced many of these notes in operation Bernhard, seeking to destabilise us. These were good fakes (I wouldn't claim to be able to spot one) but they made a couple of mistakes. The watermark has wavy lines and where these line up with the bottom of the feet of the watermarks lettering is different, the Britannia seal can also offer clues to authenticity though I am not versed in what to look for.
Consider that these notes were not common tender, the average wage of the time being £2 per week. Great reward for forgery therefore but also great risk since I am sure since passing a note like this would have not gone un-noted and forgery was considered high treason (disloyalty to the crown) so could have been very heavily punished.
