Palestine – Pair of Watermark Papers for 500 Mils and 1 Pound Banknotes – Portals Paper Archive – Legacy 65, 66 EPQ ...

Palestine – Pair of Watermark Papers for 500 Mils and 1 Pound Banknotes – Portals Paper Archive – Legacy 65, 66 EPQ – Very Rare An extraordinary pair of original watermark paper sheets produced for the 500 Mils and 1 Pound banknotes of Palestine (under the British Mandate), used for issues dated 1927, 1929, 1939, 1944, and 1945. These sheets were manufactured by Portals Ltd., the official paper supplier to the Bank of England and the Palestine Currency Board, and represent authentic production prototypes from the firm’s historical archives. Both sheets feature the iconic olive branch watermark, symbolizing peace and the land of Israel: The first displays a smaller olive branch, used for the 500 Mils denomination. The second shows a larger olive branch, used for the 1 Pound note. Each sheet is mounted on a single cream archival board, as originally presented for review, with ink notations on the mount documenting internal production remarks at Portals. Originating from the Portals Paper Archive in England – the legendary collection preserving the development materials and paper stocks used in the creation of Palestine banknotes – this pair is of exceptional rarity and historical importance, offering direct insight into the design and technical evolution of the earliest currency of the Land of Israel.