5 Pounds

The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited was a commercial bank incorporated in London, and its South African banknotes were accordingly printed there throughout this period. Waterlow & Sons had handled the bank's note production for decades by the time this series was issued, a working relationship that survived well into the postwar reorganization of South African banking.

The Union of South Africa was still using pounds, shillings, and pence in these years — decimalization wouldn't arrive until 1961, when the Rand replaced the pound at two Rand to one pound. Notes of this denomination saw genuine commercial use and survivors in problem-free condition are not common.