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5 Pounds
| Issuer | Commonwealth Bank of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1933-1939 |
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| Printer | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Note Printing Branch) |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of King George V in an oval vignette at left, flanked by elaborate guilloche scrollwork borders, with the Commonwealth of Australia Coat of Arms in an oval vignette at right. The denomination £5 appears in ornate lettering at centre, with serial numbers printed in two positions across the upper field. Two facsimile signatures appear at the lower margin, identifying the Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia at left and the Secretary to the Treasury at right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | COMMERCE FIVE £5 |
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| Comments |
Australia established its own note-printing operation in 1920, ending dependence on British printers — this note is a product of that facility in Melbourne, which by the 1930s was producing the full range of Commonwealth currency in-house. The Riddle-Heathershaw signature combination dates from the depths of the Depression, when five-pound notes represented a substantial sum for most households and saw relatively light everyday use compared to lower denominations.
The Riddle-Sheehan pairing replaced it in 1938 following Heathershaw's retirement. Signature varieties are the primary distinguishing factor between issues otherwise produced from the same plates.