Catalog
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| Issuer | Hainan Bank (海南銀行) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Uniface note printed in dark rose-red on plain paper. An oval intaglio vignette at left bears a bust portrait of Sun Yat-sen facing three-quarters right, set within a fine engine-turned guilloche border. To the right, a central denomination cartouche with ornate scrollwork displays the value in large Chinese characters, flanked by two red chop seals. Corner medallions in each quadrant repeat the denomination in smaller Chinese script, and a guilloche underprint fills the inner frame. The bank title runs across the top and the Republican-era date inscription appears along the lower margin, with the printer's imprint in small characters below the lower border. |
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| Obverse lettering | 海南銀行 貳分 中華民國三十八年 兌換銀圓 AA AA 香港印字樓有限公司 (Translation: Hainan Bank / Two Fen / Year 38 of the Chinese Republic / Redeemable in Silver Dollars / AA AA / Hong Kong Chung Hwa Book Company, Limited) |
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| Comments |
Hainan Bank was established by the Nationalist-aligned provincial government of Hainan Island in the final, chaotic stretch of the Civil War, issuing notes that had a functional lifespan measured in months rather than years. The PLA crossed to Hainan in April 1950, and any currency tied to the island's Kuomintang administration became worthless almost immediately.
Printing by Hong Kong Chung Hwa Book Company placed production safely across the water — the Guangzhou-based parent firm had long served both commercial and government clients, and its Hong Kong operation continued to handle sensitive print runs when the mainland became untenable.