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20 Cents - Royal Navy Canteen - King George V
| Issuer | Royal Navy Canteen, Wei-Hai-Wei |
|---|---|
| Year | 1930 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Yuan |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Green letterpress print on cream paper with a dotted guilloche border. Text arranged in horizontal registers reads "R.N. CANTEEN / WEI-HAI-WEI. / TWENTY CENTS. / BIG MONEY / Local Currency Only." Two circular violet anchor cancellation stamps appear at the lower centre, flanking a decorative ornament. |
| Reverse lettering | 20 R.N. 20 CANTEEN WEI-HAI-WEI. TWENTY CENTS. BIG MONEY Local Currency Only. 20 20 |
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| Comments |
Wei-Hai-Wei was leased by Britain from China in 1898 as a naval base and coaling station, primarily to counter Russian expansion in the Yellow Sea. The Royal Navy maintained a summer fleet anchorage there until the lease was surrendered in 1930 — the same year this canteen token note was issued, which almost certainly places it among the final pieces produced before the handover.
Canteen currency of this type circulated only within the naval establishment, preventing ratings from spending their pay in local establishments and keeping money within the garrison economy. Notes issued so close to a base closure are rarely encountered; most would have been redeemed, voided, or simply destroyed during the withdrawal.