Catalog
5 Dollars
| Issuer | The Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | $5 INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER Penang 1st Jan. 1878 THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA & CHINA Promises to pay the Bearer on Demand at its OFFICE here FIVE DOLLARS in local currency for Value received. BY ORDER OF THE COURT OF DIRECTORS Entd. Acct. MANAGER |
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| Reverse lettering | THE CHARTERED BANK OF 5 INDIA AUSTRALIA AND CHINA |
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The Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China received its royal charter in 1853 and operated as one of the principal exchange banks across British Asia, with its notes circulating in treaty ports and colonial settlements rather than through any single national banking system. By 1878 the bank was well established in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and the Straits Settlements, where this denomination would have moved through mercantile trade rather than retail commerce.
W.W. Sprague & Co. handled security printing for several British colonial and overseas banking institutions during this period — a second-tier competitor to Perkins Bacon and De La Rue, but competent in intaglio work. Sprague printed in London; the notes were then shipped out to branch offices for signature and issue.