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5 Dollars Ta-Ching Government Bank, unissued
| Issuer | Ta-Ching Government Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue and green with an elaborate guilloche underprint in red and blue, the obverse carries an oval portrait vignette of a Chinese dignitary in traditional robes and cap at left, balanced by an oval architectural vignette of a classical Chinese pavilion at right. The central panel bears large Chinese characters 伍圓 flanked by vertical inscriptions and corner denomination panels, with a red SPECIMEN overprint across the centre and serial number positions rendered in zeroes confirming unissued status. Corner and border ornamentation is executed in fine lathe-work consistent with American Bank Note Company production standards of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Engraved in teal and dark green on a light blue guilloche ground, the reverse presents a large central intaglio vignette of a Chinese imperial building set amid trees and landscaped grounds. The heading THE TA-CHING GOVERNMENT BANK arcs across the top, with the promise-to-pay clause and bold serif denomination FIVE DOLLARS below the vignette; numeral '5' panels in ornate lathe-work frames appear at left and right within a Greek key outer border. The date 1st OCTOBER 1909 and the printer's imprint AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, NEW YORK are lettered along the bottom margin, with serial number positions filled with zeroes denoting unissued specimen status. |
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| Comments |
Ta-Ching Government Bank was established in 1905 as the Qing dynasty's first modern state bank, intended to centralize imperial finances and eventually replace the chaotic mix of provincial and private note issuers. The 1909 series was printed by ABNC in New York as part of that modernization push — but the dynasty collapsed in 1911 before most of the stock could be formally released into circulation.
Unissued remainders like this one survived in quantity precisely because they never left the vaults. ABNC retained its own archives as well, which accounts for the occasional appearance of these notes in pristine condition through American auction channels rather than through Chinese collections.