Catalog
10 Pounds
| Issuer | Commonwealth of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913-1918 |
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| Currency | Pound (1788-1966) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 10 10 THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIAN NOTE The Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia promises to pay the Bearer TEN POUNDS in gold coin on Demand AT THE COMMONWEALTH TREASURY AT THE SEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT TEN POUNDS AUSTRALIA 10 10 |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a central vignette of horse-drawn wagons loaded with sacks of grain at Narwonah, New South Wales, rendered in fine intaglio engraving and set within a decorative guilloche border. The denomination '10' appears in each corner, with 'TEN POUNDS' inscribed in a panel at the top and bottom of the design. |
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| Comments |
Australia's first federally issued banknotes — including this 10 Pound — replaced the notes of individual trading banks following the Australian Notes Act of 1910, which also prohibited private banks from issuing their own currency. The Commonwealth Bank didn't actually open until late 1911, meaning the Treasury itself handled note issuance in the interim. Collins and Allen were the first signature combination used on the series; Cerutty and Collins followed when James Cerutty succeeded Allen as Secretary to the Treasury.
The 10 Pound was the highest denomination in the inaugural Commonwealth series, and surviving examples with either signature pairing are genuinely scarce — the face value alone discouraged circulation and encouraged hoarding or redemption rather than everyday use.