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100 Dollars
| Issuer | Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation |
|---|---|
| Year | 1895 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Dollars |
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| Obverse description | Pink and green note with the issuer's name THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION inscribed across the centre. Two oval $100 denomination panels appear in the upper left and upper right corners, with a central armorial vignette in the middle. The text ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS runs horizontally below the central vignette, with the legend BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS beneath. Serial number and date appear in the upper register, with HONG KONG at the foot. Two large blue cancellation chop marks are applied diagonally across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HONG KONG $100 |
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| Comments |
The Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation was privately chartered — not a central bank — yet by the 1890s it was functioning as Hong Kong's de facto currency authority, issuing notes that circulated across treaty ports from Shanghai to Yokohama. This $100 note represents serious commercial denomination for the period; routine trade transactions rarely required it, making actual circulation wear uncommon on surviving examples.
Thomas De La Rue's involvement dates to the bank's earliest plate contracts, and the relationship remained exclusive for decades. The 1895 series predates the currency disruptions caused by the global silver price collapse of the late 1890s, which forced significant monetary adjustments across silver-standard economies throughout the region.