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50 Cents Brown print
| Issuer | British North Borneo Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1895 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Brown letterpress print on paper. To the left, the coat of arms of the British North Borneo Company appears with the denomination inscribed below and the serial number above. The central field carries the issuer's name and denomination alongside the promissory text, with Chinese character notation for the value. |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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| Comments |
The British North Borneo Chartered Company retained full authority to issue currency under its 1881 royal charter — one of the last private companies in the British empire with that power. These fractional notes filled a genuine gap: coin shortages in the interior made small-denomination paper essential for paying estate and plantation workers across territory the Company was still actively administering rather than merely claiming.
The 1895 series, of which this is part, is among the earliest surviving paper issues from the territory. Attrition in the tropics was severe — humidity, insects, and rough handling in remote outposts account for why the Pick 2 is consistently difficult to locate in any condition above heavily circulated.