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1 Pound Bank of Australasia
| Issuer | Bank of Australasia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863-1875 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S111 |
| Obverse description | Central upper vignette in intaglio style presents two seated allegorical women amid a pastoral landscape, with agricultural and maritime attributes at their sides; to the upper left, a quartered heraldic shield bearing the arms of the Bank of Australasia, flanked by ornate guilloche rosettes at each corner and the word AUCKLAND printed vertically in bold letterpress on both lateral margins. The promise-to-pay text and denomination ONE POUND are rendered in elaborate script within a ruled panel across the centre, with NEW ZEALAND in large capitals along the lower border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER, 1835. AUCKLAND PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND ONE POUND AT AUCKLAND FOR THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA ONE NEW ZEALAND SPECIMEN MANAGER |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Australasia was a London-incorporated colonial bank operating across multiple Australian colonies simultaneously, which created an unusual situation: notes issued under a single authorizing framework had to circulate as legal tender in jurisdictions with different banking regulations. This note predates Australian federation by nearly four decades.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the preeminent security printers of the mid-Victorian period, responsible for early British colonial postage stamps as well as banknotes across dozens of issuing authorities. Their steel-engraved intaglio work was specifically chosen to defeat the colonial forgery trade, which had plagued earlier Australian note issues printed by less sophisticated means.