Catalog
100 Dollars
| Issuer | Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Red letterpress print on pale paper. The Royal coat of arms vignette occupies upper centre, flanked by two oval denomination counters each reading $100. Chinese characters form border panels at top and bottom. The promise-to-pay text is rendered in copperplate script below the bank title, with handwritten signature lines for Entd. Acct. and Manager. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | CBIAC |
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| Comments |
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China received its royal charter in 1853 and began operations in 1858 — meaning this 1860 issue comes from the bank's very earliest years of operation. Batho, Sprague & Co. were a respected London security printing house active through the mid-Victorian period, handling note production for several colonial and overseas banks before the trade consolidated around larger firms like Perkins Bacon and De La Rue.
Dollar-denominated notes from British-chartered banks operating in the Straits Settlements and Hong Kong during this period occupy an awkward monetary position — officially British institutions, but issuing in a currency unit tied to silver trade rather than sterling. Surviving examples from the 1860 series are exceptionally rare; the bank revised its note designs multiple times before 1900, and early issues saw heavy circulation in port trade.