Catalog
5 Yen in Gold
| Issuer | Bank of Taiwan |
|---|---|
| Year | 1904 |
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| Value | 5 Yen |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 五 行銀灣臺 社會式株 金 五 圓 臺 灣 銀 行 TAIW AN Bᴷ Lᴰ 五 5 (Translation: Five The Bank of Taiwan Co., Ltd. Five Yen in Gold Bank of Taiwan) |
| Reverse description | Printed in purple on plain paper, the reverse is dominated by an elaborate scrollwork and floral guilloche frame enclosing a large central numeral 5 within a dotted oval medallion. The English promise text of the Bank of Taiwan is set below the central vignette, with the full Chinese legal warning text arranged in vertical columns within the upper portion of the central panel. The legend FIVE YEN IN GOLD. appears in ornate lettering across the top, and the printer's imprint in Chinese runs along the bottom margin. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Taiwan was established in 1899 specifically to serve Japan's newly acquired colonial possession, and its early note issues functioned as a parallel currency system — nominally redeemable in gold but operating under conditions that made actual redemption largely theoretical for most holders in Taiwan. This note predates the suspension of the gold standard in the territory, which makes the "in Gold" promise on the face a legally meaningful one at the time of issue, not mere decorative language.
The Cabinet Printing Bureau, known as Naikaku Insatsukyoku, handled security printing for the Japanese imperial government across multiple colonial currencies during this period. Wear patterns on surviving examples tend to concentrate along horizontal fold lines, consistent with long counter circulation in tropical humidity.