Catalog
50 Cents Blank reverse
| Issuer | The British North Borneo Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919-1929 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Cents (0.50) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | The British North Borneo Company THE TREASURY SANDAKAN. Promises to pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of FIFTY CENTS Value received 半元 |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | P#14a - 1918-1920 / 25.02.1919 P#14b - 01.03.1921 & 01.06.1929 |
| Comments |
The British North Borneo Company was a chartered trading company that functioned as a de facto colonial administration, and its currency issues reflect that unusual dual role. The 50 Cents fractional notes of this series were a practical response to chronic small-change shortages in the territory — coinage was perpetually undersupplied relative to the needs of plantation labour payments and local market trade.
The blank reverse is not an omission. It was deliberate policy across the Company's fractional issues, keeping production costs low for denominations that wore out quickly in tropical conditions.