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5 Pounds Bank of Australasia
| Issuer | Bank of Australasia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1907-1921 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pounds |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | FIVE FIVE THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER 1835 WELLINGTON PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND FIVE POUNDS AT WELLINGTON FOR THE BANK OF AUSTRALASIA FIVE POUNDS NEW ZEALAND MANAGER COUNTERSIGNED |
| Reverse description | Uniface; no printed reverse. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Australasia was a British-chartered institution operating across the Australian colonies and later states, with its head office in London — which is precisely why the notes were printed by Perkins, Bacon & Petch rather than any local press. The firm had long supplied intaglio-printed security paper to colonial banks and governments across the Empire, and the relationship predates Australian federation entirely.
The 1907–1921 date range spans a consequential shift: the Commonwealth Bank of Australia was established in 1911 and began issuing its own notes under the Australian Notes Act of 1910, which progressively squeezed private bank circulation. Trading banks could still issue notes but faced an issuance tax that made it increasingly uneconomical. By 1921, private banknote issue in Australia was effectively dead.
The Bank of Australasia itself was absorbed by the Union Bank of Australia in 1951 to form ANZ.