A tangible piece of ANZAC history, this scarce banknote was once in the hands of Australian soldiers serving at Gallipoli in 1915.

Known as Dardanelles Overprints, these were ordinary British Treasury ten-shilling and one-pound notes modified with Ottoman Turkish text. Their purpose was simple but vital: with no Allied military canteens on the Dardanelles peninsula, troops needed a way to buy supplies from local merchants. These overprinted notes became their link to the local economy.

The base notes—known as “Bradbury” issues—were part of only the second series of banknotes ever issued by the British Treasury. Printed in October 1914 on specially prepared watermarked paper, they were later adapted for use in the campaign. The ten-shilling version carried two lines of Ottoman Turkish, translating to “Piastres silver 60” and “Piastres silver sixty.”

Most surviving examples today show heavy wear or damage from their time in the field. This particular note is a rare exception: intact, problem-free, and with surprisingly solid paper quality considering both its fragile nature and the harsh wartime environment in which it circulated.

Grade: good Very Fine