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2 Dollars Government Issue
| Issuer | Government of British Guiana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1918 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | British Guiana Dollar (1837-1965) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | `DAMUS PETIMUSQUE VICISSIM` THE GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH GUIANA Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of TWO DOLLARS Georgetown Currency Commissioners 1st. August, 1916 TWO DOLLARS $2 $2 TWO DOLLARS THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED (Translation: Latin motto: `WE GIVE AND WE SEEK IN RETURN`) |
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| Variants | P#2 - 01.08.1916 P#2 - 02.01.1918 |
| Comments |
British Guiana's government-issued currency notes of this period exist because the commercial banking system simply could not meet wartime demand for small denomination paper. The colony had relied on private bank notes, but the First World War disrupted supply chains, drained coin, and created acute shortages at the lower end of the currency register. The Government of British Guiana stepped in directly — an unusual administrative intervention for a colony that had previously left note issuance largely to private institutions.
De La Rue's involvement guaranteed consistent security printing, but surviving examples from this short issue window are genuinely scarce. The three-year bracket for this series likely reflects the time required to normalize circulation conditions rather than any planned replacement schedule.