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20 Pounds - Union Bank of Australia Limited
| Issuer | Union Bank of Australia Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | A crowned bust of Queen Victoria appears at the upper left, accompanied by a central vignette of Britannia seated with a shield, spear, lion, and a sailing ship. The bank's arms are positioned at the lower right, with the whole composition executed in the fine-line engraving style characteristic of Perkins, Bacon & Petch. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED NAPIER HAWKES BAY NEW ZEALAND NAPIER HAWKES BAY NEW ZEALAND WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER HERE IN DEMAND TWENTY POUNDS STG. NAPIER FOR THE DIRECTORS & COMPANY |
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| Comments |
The Union Bank of Australia Limited was incorporated by royal charter in London in 1837 and operated as one of the major Anglo-Australian trading banks through the colonial period. This £20 denomination sits at the high end of the bank's circulating notes — a value more likely to settle large pastoral or mercantile transactions than to pass through ordinary retail trade.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the dominant security printers for colonial Australian banking paper through much of the nineteenth century, their steel-engraved work being specifically chosen to deter the sophisticated forgeries that had plagued earlier lithographed issues. The plates were engraved in London and the finished notes shipped to branch offices in the colonies for dating and signature at point of issue.
The Union Bank later merged into the ANZ group in 1951.