Catalog
5 Dollars
| Issuer | The Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Yes |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Blue letterpress on mauve guilloche underprint, with a decorative border incorporating Chinese, Jawi, Tamil and Arabic script. The royal coat of arms with motto "DIEU ET MON DROIT" appears as a central vignette at upper centre, flanked by two $5 denomination panels. A large mauve "FIVE" underprint spans the note's lower half. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Uniform green letterpress on plain paper, centred on a large horizontal elliptical guilloche panel enclosing the numeral "5", flanked by two smaller circular rosette vignettes. The bank title curves around the outer edge of the central panel in two arcs. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
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.