Catalog
1 Dollar
| Issuer | British North Borneo Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1882-1941) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in black, the reverse centres on an elaborate oval guilloche vignette in which the numeral '1' is flanked by the word 'DOLLAR', the whole enclosed within an intricate lathe-work border of fine scrollwork and floral ornament. Cartouches positioned to the left and right of the central vignette each carry the word 'ONE'. |
| Reverse lettering | ONE 1 DOLLAR ONE |
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| Comments |
The British North Borneo Chartered Company was one of the last private commercial entities in the British Empire still authorized to issue its own currency by 1940 — a privilege dating back to its royal charter of 1881. That arrangement ended abruptly when Japanese forces occupied the territory in 1941, and much of the circulating paper stock was either destroyed, lost, or rendered worthless almost overnight.
The 1940 date makes this among the final issues before occupation, which accounts for the relative scarcity of well-used examples — circulation was brief and the subsequent disruption catastrophic for surviving notes.