Catalog
100 Pounds
| Issuer | National Bank of Australasia Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | ND (1910) |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE NATIONAL BANK OF AUSTRALASIA LIMITED ONE HUNDRED POUNDS ON DEMAND PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE HUNDRED POUNDS MELBOURNE VICTORIA ONE HUNDRED |
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| Variants | P#A126a - overprint on Melbourne P#A126b - overprint on Perth |
| Comments |
The National Bank of Australasia was a private trading bank, not a central bank, and its right to issue notes was progressively curtailed following the Australian Notes Act of 1910 — the same year assigned to this piece. That Act transferred the note-issuing monopoly to the Commonwealth government, effectively ending private bank currency in Australia. Notes already in circulation or held in reserve were gradually withdrawn; a £100 denomination would have seen almost no hand-to-hand use under any circumstances, given the purchasing power involved.
Survivors at this denomination are exceptionally rare. The combination of face value, political timing, and the bank's subsequent absorption into other institutions left very few examples to find their way into collections.