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5 Pounds Bank of New Zealand, Without text on back
| Issuer | Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921-1924 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Pounds |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette with two Maori figures at lower right and two kiwis at lower left, flanking a palm tree and volcano motif. The design is framed by intricate guilloche borders with denominational counters at the corners. Bank name and promise-to-pay text appear across the upper and central portions of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by elaborate guilloche rosette panels arranged symmetrically across the upper and lower halves, rendered in blue and green intaglio printing. A circular arms vignette is positioned at upper centre, flanked by ornate scrollwork and geometric lathe-work panels. The overall composition is heavily geometric with no denomination text, consistent with the 'without text on back' variety. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of New Zealand was a private commercial bank, not a central bank, and issued its own notes under authority granted by its founding legislation — a situation that persisted until the Reserve Bank of New Zealand took over note issuance in 1934. The "Without text on back" designation distinguishes this from later printings of the same Bradbury Wilkinson plate, which received an overprinted advisory on the reverse during the early 1920s revision cycle.
Bradbury Wilkinson's work for colonial and dominion banks was extensive in this period, and the BNZ relationship stretched back decades. Five-pound notes saw genuine commercial use in New Zealand's farming and wool trade settlement cycles, which means heavily worn survivors are common — intact high-denomination examples from this window are not.