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5 Dollars
| Issuer | General Bank of Communications |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Green and multicolor note dated March 1st, 1909, with two confronted dragons flanking the central guilloche oval bearing the denomination "FIVE DOLLARS" in letterpress. Ornate red geometric underprint fills the field with rosette cornerpieces, and the branch inscription "HANKOW" appears at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | GENERAL BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS FIVE DOLLARS Promises to pay the Bearer on Demand at its Office here Local Currency Value Received HANKOW March 1st 1909 |
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| Comments |
The General Bank of Communications (交通銀行) was established in 1908 to consolidate control over railways, postal services, and navigation — a deliberate instrument of late Qing fiscal reform rather than a conventional commercial bank. Notes issued in 1909 were among the earliest in the series, predating the Republic by just two years, which means this note circulated — if it circulated at all — against a backdrop of dynasty collapse, provincial monetary chaos, and competing local bank currencies.
The Chung Ming Printing Agency was one of the few domestic Chinese printers producing banknotes at this period; most contemporary issuers still relied on foreign security printers in London or the United States. That domestic production choice reflects deliberate Qing policy, though print quality was noticeably inconsistent across the run.