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100 Pounds Commercial Bank of New Zealand Ltd.
| Issuer | Commercial Bank of New Zealand, Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865-1866 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Pounds |
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| Obverse description | The bank title 'The Commercial Bank of New Zealand, Limited' in ornate script across the upper portion, with the Royal Arms vignette at upper centre flanked by supporters. Denomination numerals '100' appear in oval cartouches at left and right, with a bold letterpress panel reading 'One Hundred' at lower left. The promise-to-pay text in copperplate script occupies the central field, with 'SPECIMEN' overprint and 'Chief Manager' signature line at lower right; the note is authorised 'By Act of the General Assembly' along the bottom border, and 'INCORPORATED' along the top. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | INCORPORATED THE COMMERCIAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND, LIMITED DUNEDIN 2nd January 1865 PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND ONE HUNDRED POUNDS VALUE RECEIVED FOR THE DIRECTORS AND PROPRIETORS OF THE COMMERCIAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND LIMITED ONE HUNDRED SPECIMEN CHIEF MANAGER BY ACT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| Comments |
The Commercial Bank of New Zealand was incorporated in London in 1866 and collapsed in 1893, one of several New Zealand trading banks that failed to survive the severe depression of the early 1890s. Its notes were printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch before the bank had even formally opened its doors in the colony — a common enough practice for London-incorporated institutions needing stock ready at launch, but it means surviving examples from this 1865–1866 print run predate any significant New Zealand circulation history.
At the £100 denomination, actual circulation was always thin. High-value notes of this period moved between merchants and clearing houses rather than passing through general trade, and most were cancelled or redeemed long before the bank's failure.