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10 Pounds Bank of Australasia
| Issuer | Bank of Australasia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1902-1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#S119 |
| Obverse description | Central vignette at upper centre shows two seated allegorical women, flanked by the bank title in script lettering and the incorporation legend in smaller type beneath. Numeral value "10" appears in oval guilloche panels at each corner, with "TEN" in horizontal panels along the upper register and "DUNEDIN" printed vertically along both side margins. The promise-to-pay text, branch designation, and manager's manuscript signature occupy the lower centre of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a large central vignette of the Bank of Australasia heraldic arms within an elaborate foliate and scrollwork cartouche, surrounded by a fine guilloche border. Numeral "10" appears in corner panels at all four corners. The circular legend enclosing the arms reads "BANK OF AUSTRALASIA INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER 1885". |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Australasia was a London-incorporated institution that operated branches across the Australian colonies and, after Federation in 1901, the new Commonwealth. Its notes were never legal tender — they circulated on the bank's own credit and were redeemable at its branches. A £10 denomination was a substantial sum in this period, roughly two or three weeks' wages for a skilled tradesman, which meant these saw limited handling and were more commonly used in commercial settlements between businesses than in retail trade.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch were responsible for the intaglio work, the same London firm that engraved stamps for dozens of British colonial governments. Their security printing was technically accomplished, though the bank's own London oversight of design and issue meant Australian branches had little say in the notes' production.
The Bank of Australasia merged with the Union Bank of Australia in 1951, long after this series had been withdrawn.