Catalog
10 Pounds
| Issuer | Commonwealth Bank of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1925-1933 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of a rural grain harvest scene in which horse-drawn wagons laden with wheat sheaves are attended by labourers in an open field, all executed in intaglio within a large arched frame. The border is composed of intricate guilloche ornamental work with floral rosettes at the corners and the numeral '10' repeated in each corner panel. The denomination 'TEN POUNDS' appears in letterpress below the central vignette on both sides. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | 1925-1930 - James Kell and James R. Collins 1931-1933 - Ernest Charles Riddle and James R. Collins |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Commonwealth Bank's Note Printing Branch began operating in 1913, making Australia one of the few countries at the time producing its own banknotes entirely in-house rather than contracting to established security printers in Britain or Europe. By the time this £10 series was being signed, the Branch had nearly two decades of domestic production behind it — a deliberate assertion of financial self-sufficiency that had grown more pointed after the First World War.
The signature transition mid-series reflects the appointment of Ernest Riddle as Governor in 1927, though his name does not appear on notes until 1931, suggesting accumulated stock of Kell-signed notes remained in circulation well into the Depression years. Collins's continuity across both pairings — as Assistant Governor — anchors the series administratively.