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50 Dollars
| Issuer | Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
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| Printer | Waterlow & Sons Limited |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the full bank title 'THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA & CHINA' in an arched guilloche band across the upper portion, with the Royal Charter vignette at centre top flanked by lions. A central oval vignette depicts a riverside pastoral scene with figures and a boat. The denomination 'FIFTY DOLLARS' appears in bold letterpress at centre, with bilingual Chinese characters reading 伍拾圓 at left and right margins, and the place and date of issue 'HONGKONG, 1st July, 1919' inscribed below the central vignette. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA & CHINA Promises to pay the Bearer at its Office here on Demand FIFTY DOLLARS OR THE EQUIVALENT IN THE CURRENCY OF THE COLONY VALUE RECEIVED HONGKONG, 1st July, 1919 By Order of the Court of Directors 50 伍拾圓 香港 印度廈門中金 中國滙豐銀行 |
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| Comments |
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China was granted its royal charter in 1853 and operated as a note-issuing authority across British colonial territories well into the twentieth century. By 1919, its Hong Kong dollar notes were a fixture of commercial trade finance across the China coast and Straits Settlements. Waterlow & Sons produced the plates with the high security standards expected of major colonial currency work — the London firm held contracts for several colonial and dominion issuers simultaneously during this period.
Pick 43B is among the rarer high-denomination survivors from this issuer. Large-denomination notes of this type circulated primarily between merchants and banks rather than in retail trade, which means handling was limited but storage conditions were often poor — folding for safekeeping in ledgers or strongboxes is a common source of damage on surviving examples.