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20 Pounds National Bank of New Zealand Limited
| Issuer | National Bank of New Zealand Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1877-1912 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Pounds |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The British Royal Arms vignette, with lion and unicorn supporters beneath a crowned shield, is centrally positioned in the upper half, flanked by ornate guilloche rosettes bearing the denomination £20 at upper left and right. The bank's circular seal incorporating the monogram 'NB' appears on both lateral borders within elaborate lathe-work frames. A large orange-tinted guilloche underprint carries the word TWENTY across the centre of the note, overlaid with the intaglio promise-to-pay text, with the place of issue 'Dunedin' inscribed in script at left. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE NATIONAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND LIMITED INCORPORATED UNDER THE COMPANIES ACTS AND THE NEW ZEALAND ACT 1.1873 DUNEDIN WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND TWENTY POUNDS STERLING FOR THE NATIONAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND LIMITED TWENTY |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of New Zealand Limited was a London-incorporated institution, founded in 1872 with British capital and British directors — which explains the Perkins, Bacon plate work. The firm had deep experience in colonial currency printing, having produced postage stamps and banknotes for territories across the British Empire throughout the nineteenth century.
The twenty-pound denomination would have seen negligible retail circulation; at that value it functioned almost entirely in interbank settlement and large mercantile transactions. The thirty-five-year issue span reflects how slowly note designs turned over in colonial banking practice, not active continuous printing across the full period.