Catalog
100 Pounds - Elizabeth II
| Issuer | Bank of the Gold Coast |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The bank title "BANK OF THE GOLD COAST" is printed across the top of the note in bold lettering, with the large denomination numeral "100" at upper left. A central text block carries the legal tender inscription and the denomination "ONE HUNDRED POUNDS" in large intaglio lettering. To the right, a formal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown is set within a plain panel, flanked by guilloche underprint work in violet and green tones. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 100 BANK OF THE GOLD COAST THIS NOTE IS ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE GOLD COAST AND IS LEGAL TENDER IN THE GOLD COAST FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT ONE HUNDRED POUNDS GOVERNMENT OF THE GOLD COAST MINISTER OF FINANCE MANAGING DIRECTOR |
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| Comments |
The Bank of the Gold Coast had a brief operational life — the institution was established in 1953 and dissolved when Ghana gained independence in 1957, at which point the Bank of Ghana took over. This note was issued during that narrow window, making the entire series historically compressed. High-denomination notes of this type saw almost no retail circulation; £100 was a sum far beyond ordinary wages in the Gold Coast economy and these moved primarily between commercial banks and government accounts.
Bradbury Wilkinson printed from New Malden throughout this period, handling much of Britain's colonial currency work. Surviving examples in any grade are scarce — the combination of low print runs, institutional rather than public circulation, and the political transition that ended the issuing authority makes attrition rates difficult to estimate.