Catalog
5 Pounds Reserve Bank
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960-1965 |
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| Size | 168 × 79 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | AUSTRALIAN NOTE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA FIVE POUNDS LEGAL TENDER IN THE COMMONWEALTH AND IN ALL TERRITORIES UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNOR, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY SIR JOHN FRANKLIN FIVE POUNDS |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a collage of Australian primary production imagery, including harvested fruits, grains, and sheaves of wheat, arranged behind an Aboriginal shield and boomerang, with a bull, sheep, and cow integrated into the composition as symbols of the nation's pastoral and agricultural industries. The design is framed by elaborate guilloche borderwork and lathe-work patterns in dark tones throughout. |
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| Comments |
This series bridges two distinct phases of Australian monetary administration. The Coombs/Wilson pairing reflects the long institutional dominance of H.C. Coombs, who served as Governor of the Commonwealth Bank and then the Reserve Bank across an extraordinary twenty-year stretch. Harold Holt's appearance on the 1964 signature combination is a curiosity — he signed as Treasurer, a role he held until 1966 before becoming Prime Minister the following year, disappearing while swimming at Cheviot Beach in December 1967.
The entire series was rendered obsolete by decimalisation on 14 February 1966, when the Australian pound was replaced by the dollar at a two-to-one conversion rate.