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50 Pounds
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1934 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 177 × 88 mm |
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| Obverse description | At left, an intaglio vignette of a kiwi bird standing before a mountain landscape; at centre, the New Zealand royal arms in intricate engraving flanked by the denomination numeral '50' in guilloche panels at each upper corner; at right, an oval portrait vignette of Māori chief Tawhiao in traditional dress with facial moko. The date '1st August 1934' and a manuscript Governor signature appear at the lower centre, with decorative Māori-style scroll motifs in the side borders. |
|---|---|
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| Protection description | a kiwi bird visible when held to light |
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| Comments |
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand opened in August 1934, and this 50 Pounds note belongs to the very first series it ever issued — a remarkably high denomination for a country whose agricultural workforce rarely handled anything above a pound or two in weekly wages. De La Rue produced the whole inaugural series under tight schedule, the bank having been established by act of Parliament only in 1933.
High-denomination notes from this series are genuinely rare in any condition. Most saw interbank and government settlement use rather than retail circulation, and attrition through the 1967 decimal conversion was severe.