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5 Pounds Bank of New Zealand, With text on back
| Issuer | Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1916-1920 |
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| Value | 5 Pounds |
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| Obverse description | The obverse centres on a vignette incorporating two Māori figures at the lower right and two kiwi birds at the lower left, framed by a palm tree and a volcanic peak in the background. Dense guilloche scrollwork fills the margins, with the denomination numeral '5' set in ornate devices at each corner. The bank title and promise-to-pay legend are rendered in formal serif letterpress across the face. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in green and blue tones with an overall guilloche underprint covering the entire field. A central cartouche carries the bank title 'BANK OF NEW ZEALAND' in bold lettering, flanked by symmetrical rosette and scroll ornaments, while an armorial vignette occupies the upper centre. The word 'FIVE' appears within a decorative panel at the lower centre, with the numeral '5' repeated in ornate corner devices. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of New Zealand was a private commercial bank, not a central authority, and its notes from this period circulated alongside those of several competing banks before the Reserve Bank of New Zealand was established in 1934. Bradbury Wilkinson produced the plates in London, which was standard practice for colonial and dominion banking institutions that lacked domestic printing infrastructure capable of meeting security standards.
The "with text on back" distinction in the Pick catalog separates this issue from an earlier variant, making the reverse typography a meaningful point of differentiation rather than a minor design note. The 1916–1920 window straddles the First World War, during which New Zealand currency demand rose sharply due to military mobilization expenditure.