PREVIEW: WORLD BANKNOTES: 30 MAY

When a town or city comes under siege, life must go on, and that includes trade, even if the siege state disrupts access to currency. The result can be the introduction of temporary currency issued by the local authorities.

When Khartoum in Sudan came under siege from Mahdist forces in March 1884, the man put in charge of evacuating the city and surrounding garrisons was Charles George Gordon, Governor-General of Sudan.

The British had taken over the rule of Sudan as a consequence of its domination of Egypt in 1882, inheriting the conflict with the Mahdi’s army as it rose up in rebellion against the occupying forces.

Gordon made what proved to be the fatal decision of fortifying Khartoum rather than abandoning it, losing the advantage when local tribes joined the rebels to swell the Mahdi’s army to around 50,000 warriors.

The British and Egyptian garrison under Gordon held out for ten months, but inevitably supplies began to run out and the inhabitants of the city were threatened with starvation.

The British government, which had left Gordon and his troops to fend for themselves, eventually agreed to send a relief force, but it arrived too late. Realising that they would soon be outnumbered themselves, the Mahdi’s army launched a nocturnal assault and took the city, killing the entire garrison, including Gordon, as well as thousands of others.

The Mahdi’s success led to the withdrawal of the British and the establishment of a new religious rule that would last until the end of the 19th century.

As he and his troops fended off the Mahdi’s army, Gordon also set about ensuring the smooth running of the city, and in April 1884 he issued emergency currency. The first issue notes, in sums of 1, 5, 10, 20, 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 2500 and 5000 piastres and a note for fifty Egyptian pounds, were dated 25 April 1884, and production continued for the next six or seven months.

It is thought that by the end of July, the equivalent of up to £50,000 had been issued. They took the form of promissory notes with Gordon’s personal guarantee and the backing of the Egyptian government.

The siege notes were printed on card stock using a lithographic process, the text in Arabic, , and the seal of the Governor-General printed in both English and Arabic on the higher denomination notes.

Gordon initially signed all the notes personally, but as the issue grew, his signature was added by hectographic duplication. This proved unpopular with traders, and so Gordon returned to signing by hand.

One of the original notes, a 1 Piastre, dated 25 April 1884, with serial number 8855, and hand signed by General Gordon, forms a key highlight of this sale.

“Part of the reason the 1 piastre is so rare, is that it was made illegal to own anything with Gordon’s name on it, so it wasn’t worth risking the possible death penalty for a tiny amount of money,” said Noonans’ head of Banknotes, Andrew Pattison. “As a result, there are far greater numbers of the higher denominations than the lower.”

Incredibly rare and thought to be the only example in private hands, this leading highlight of the Trevor Wilkin Collection of Siege Notes has an estimate of £10,000-£15,000.