A pound you could spend only in an army canteen: this is the one-pound note of the second series of British Armed Forces Special Vouchers, issued in 1948. The words «2nd Series» on the front set it apart from the first-series vouchers of 1946, which were withdrawn at the beginning of 1948.

The voucher system appeared in 1946 in occupied Germany, as the Army moved to stop goods meant for soldiers from reaching the black market. The back warns that the voucher is valid only for transactions within official canteens and that improper use is a disciplinary offence.

The second series circulated among British units in Germany, in denominations from three pence to five pounds. The Pick catalogue lists this pound as M22.

For a military money collection it is an early piece of the British Army system: a voucher from post-war Germany and a natural starting point for the run of series from 1946 to 1972. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

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