Catalog
5 Pounds
| Issuer | Bank of Victoria Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | ND (1910) |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | P#A93 |
| Obverse description | Engraved note with an ornate guilloche border. At left, an intaglio portrait of Queen Victoria in tiara and jewels; at right, a crowned heraldic vignette. Central text panel carries the promise-to-pay inscription with manuscript date line reading 'Melbourne, 18__'; denomination numerals and lettering in each corner. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANK OF VICTORIA LIMITED FIVE POUNDS Melbourne I Promise to pay the Bearer on demand the Sum of FIVE POUNDS Value received By the BANK OF VICTORIA LIMITED Manager |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| 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 Bank of Victoria Limited was absorbed into the Commercial Bank of Australia in 1927 following decades of competitive pressure among Victoria's private banks, but by the time this note was issued around 1910, the institution had already spent years clawing back credibility lost during the catastrophic land boom collapse of the early 1890s — a crisis that destroyed several Melbourne banks outright. The Bank of Victoria survived, but its share capital was reconstructed under duress.
Private banknote issue in Australia effectively ended with the Commonwealth Bank Act of 1910, which imposed a prohibitive tax on private circulation. Notes from this period represent the final years of that system.