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1 Dollar
| Issuer | Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1872 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Dollar |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central guilloche-bordered vignette of the Royal Arms above the serial number repeated at left and right, with the date '15 October 1872' and place of issue 'HONG KONG' inscribed in the central field. The main text panel reads 'THE HONG KONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION, Promises to pay the Bearer on demand at its Office here ONE DOLLAR or the equivalent in the Currency of the Island, value received,' printed in intaglio over a red underprint. The upper border bears the bank's name in Chinese characters (香港上海匯理銀行), with Chinese denomination characters in the left and right vertical margins, and 'HONG KONG' repeated along the lower border, all within a fine lathe-work frame. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 香港上海匯理銀行 THE HONG KONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION Promises to pay the Bearer on demand at its Office here ONE DOLLAR or the equivalent in the Currency of the Island, value received. By Order of the Board of Directors. HONG KONG $1 香港 壹員 |
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| Comments |
The Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation began issuing its own notes almost immediately after its 1865 founding — an unusual privilege for a commercial bank, made possible by Hong Kong's lack of a central monetary authority at the time. This 1872 dollar predates the Crown Colony's attempt to regulate private note issue, a period when HSBC, the Chartered Bank, and a handful of others competed directly for circulation confidence among merchants operating across treaty ports.
Local printing in Hong Kong at this date is notable. Most colonial commercial banks of the period sent their plate work to London or Edinburgh. That this was produced in the colony itself places it among a small group of early Hong Kong-printed issues.