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1 Pound Commercial Bank of New Zealand Ltd.
| Issuer | Commercial Bank of New Zealand Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pound |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The bank title 'The Commercial Bank of New Zealand Limited' is inscribed in script across the upper portion, flanked by oval denomination panels reading 'ONE' at left and right. A British royal arms vignette appears at upper centre, with serial numbers printed at upper left and right. A cursive promise-to-pay text occupies the centre field, with the denomination 'ONE POUND' in bold letterpress below, and a lower oval cartouche reading 'One Pound'. The note bears border inscriptions 'INCORPORATED' at top and 'BY ACT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY' at bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed with a lathe-work guilloche pattern at centre, providing a decorative underprint ground. The denomination numeral '1' appears at left and right within the design. |
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| Comments |
The Commercial Bank of New Zealand Limited was established in 1866 — which makes a note dated 1865 an oddity worth scrutinizing. Pre-operational dating was common practice with Perkins, Bacon plates, where specimen or proof pulls could precede formal charter and trading dates by months. Whether this particular example represents an issued note or a pre-opening proof is a question the reference literature has not fully resolved.
Perkins, Bacon brought their steel-engraving anti-forgery technology to colonial banking throughout the British Empire during this period, supplying plates to dozens of institutions from New Zealand to the Caribbean.