Catalog
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| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1944 |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Central Printing Factory |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Sun Yat-sen in a circular guilloche vignette at left, printed in olive-green intaglio. The denomination 壹百圓 appears in a central rosette medallion, with the bank title 中央銀行 across the upper field. Corner numerals and ornate guilloche borders frame the note, with serial number prefixes at upper left and right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | THE CENTRAL BANK OF CHINA ONE HUNDRED YUAN NATIONAL CURRENCY 1944 |
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| Comments |
By 1944, the Central Bank of China was printing currency at a pace that outstripped any plausible backing. Wartime inflation had been grinding since 1937, and the 100 Yuan denomination — substantial before the war — was losing purchasing power faster than notes could reach circulation. The Central Printing Factory was one of several facilities pressed into service to meet demand, with quality control suffering accordingly across the series.
H.H. Kung served as Governor of the Central Bank from 1933 to 1945, his tenure covering nearly the entire Sino-Japanese War. His signature on this note coincides with the period of most severe monetary deterioration, preceding the catastrophic hyperinflation that would follow.