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20 Pounds
| Issuer | South African Reserve Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1928-1933 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | A large intaglio vignette at left centre presents a full-rigged sailing ship under billowing sails against a radiant sunburst guilloche background, with a harbour and industrial skyline in the lower right. The bilingual promise-to-pay text and denomination appear in bold letterpress in English and Afrikaans at centre right, with the issuing authority's name in both languages at top and bottom borders. Denomination numerals "20" are repeated in each corner, with vertical bilingual side labels reading "TWENTY POUNDS" and "TWINTIG POND". |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The South African coat of arms is engraved at centre, flanked on either side by the bilingual bank name in large block letterpress text — "SOUTH AFRICAN RESERVE BANK" to the left and "SUID-AFRIKAANSE RESERWEBANK" to the right. The denomination "TWENTY POUNDS" appears above and "TWINTIG POND" below, all within a fine guilloche border frame. The overall design is restrained and typographic, relying on the heraldic vignette as the sole pictorial element. |
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| Comments |
The South African Reserve Bank's early high-denomination notes were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson almost from the Bank's founding in 1921, a relationship that continued for decades. This £20 note, issued under the signature of W.H. Clegg — the SARB's first Governor — dates from the opening years of the series, before South Africa abandoned the gold standard in December 1932 under severe external pressure during the global depression.
The Postmus signature date of September 1943 listed in some references is an anomaly worth flagging: notes of this Pick type are not known to have circulated that late, and the date likely reflects a signed remainder or archival example rather than normal issue.