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20 Pounds - Union Bank of Australia Limited
| Issuer | Union Bank of Australia Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1905 |
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| Printer | Waterlow & Sons Limited, United Kingdom (1810-1961) |
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| Obverse description | At left, a crowned bust of Queen Victoria faces right within an oval vignette; at upper centre, a seated Britannia figure is accompanied by a shield, spear, lion, and a sailing ship. The note carries the issuing bank's title in bold letterpress across the upper register, with the denomination and promise-to-pay text in the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | NEW ZEALAND UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER HERE ON DEMAND TWENTY POUNDS STERLING WELLINGTON NEW ZEALAND WELLINGTON NEW ZEALAND FOR THE DIRECTORS & COMPANY UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED NEW ZEALAND |
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| Comments |
Union Bank of Australia Limited was one of the major Anglo-Australian trading banks, incorporated in London in 1837 and operating branches across the Australian colonies and New Zealand. By 1905 it had been issuing its own notes for decades, though federation in 1901 did nothing immediately to consolidate private bank currency — the Commonwealth Bank wouldn't begin operations until 1912, leaving the field open to institutions like this one.
Waterlow & Sons produced this note at their London works, a common arrangement for Australian private bank issues of the period. The £20 denomination placed it firmly in commercial rather than retail use — few ordinary transactions would have required a note of this value.