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10 Shillings - Victoria Union Bank of Australia Limited, Orange
| Issuer | Union Bank of Australia Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1923 |
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| Printer | Waterlow & Sons Limited, United Kingdom (1810-1961) |
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| Obverse description | A portrait vignette of Queen Victoria occupies the lower left, while the central design features a seated Britannia holding a spear and shield in a classical allegorical composition. The note carries the full title of the issuing bank and the promise-to-pay legend above the denomination, with the Wellington branch designation and directorial authority noted in the lower margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in orange and built around a central guilloche medallion bearing the bold numeral denomination "10 SHILLINGS", flanked symmetrically on either side by two large circular vignettes enclosing heraldic crests and armorial devices. The Southern Cross constellation appears at the top centre, and additional smaller heraldic roundels with crowns and coats of arms are interspersed throughout the ornate lathe-work border. The printer's imprint of Waterlow & Sons Limited is visible in small lettering at the lower centre. |
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| Comments |
The Union Bank of Australia Limited was incorporated by royal charter in London in 1837 and operated as a British-chartered institution throughout its existence — a fact that explains why its Australian notes were consistently printed in England rather than locally. Waterlow & Sons handled the bank's note production well into the twentieth century, long after most colonial-era issuers had folded or been absorbed into larger institutions.
By 1923, private banknote issue in Australia was in its final years. The Commonwealth Bank had held a monopoly on new note issuance since 1911, but existing private bank notes remained legal tender until the Banking Act of 1945 forced full withdrawal. The Union Bank itself merged into the ANZ group in 1951, never having issued notes under its own name in the post-war period.
Orange, New South Wales appears as the place of payment — a branch designation, not a printing location.