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5 Pounds Bank of Australasia
| Issuer | Bank of Australasia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1864-1870 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | P#S112 |
| Obverse description | Central upper vignette of two seated allegorical women in a pastoral landscape, with the bank's heraldic arms in an ornate medallion at upper left and a rosette panel bearing the numeral FIVE at upper right; the bank title in script lettering arches above the central vignette, beneath which the legend INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER, 1835 appears. The promise-to-pay text is set in a combination of script and bold letterpress across the centre, with a guilloche panel bearing FIVE POUNDS at lower left, and the branch designation CHRISTCHURCH and payable clause at AUCKLAND stated in the body text; the border is formed by an elaborate intaglio geometric frame with rosette corner ornaments. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER, 1835. CHRISTCHURCH PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND FIVE POUNDS HERE OR AT AUCKLAND FOR THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA FIVE POUNDS NEW ZEALAND MANAGER |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Australasia was a British-chartered colonial bank, incorporated by royal charter in 1835 and headquartered in London — meaning this note, though circulating in Australian colonies, was essentially a product of the imperial financial system rather than any local banking authority. Perkins, Bacon & Petch were the dominant security printers of the period, responsible for the penny black stamp and much of the British Empire's currency work, and their siderographic transfer process made plate duplication and forgery unusually difficult for the time.
The bank maintained branches across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia, with the colonial note issue tightly controlled from London throughout.