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50 Pounds
| Issuer | Reserve Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1940-1967 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 50 Pounds |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-printed in red on a cream ground, the obverse presents a portrait vignette of Captain James Cook within an oval laurel wreath at right, rendered in fine line engraving. At left, the crowned arms of New Zealand with motto ONWARD appear above a detailed sailing ship vignette. A multicolour guilloche rosette occupies the centre, overprinted with the promise-to-pay legend and the Chief Cashier's signature, while ornate scroll-work borders frame all four corners. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND PROMISES TO PAY ON DEMAND IN WELLINGTON THE SUM OF FIFTY POUNDS |
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| Comments |
New Zealand's high-denomination notes from this period circulated in genuinely small numbers — the £50 was a significant sum throughout the 1940s and into the decimal transition era, and most examples passed through commercial banking channels rather than public hands. The long signature range spanning Hanna, Wilson, and Fleming reflects the full run of Reserve Bank Governors across nearly three decades, making single-signature examples meaningfully distinct from one another in terms of scarcity.
De La Rue printed the series in London throughout, including during wartime — a logistical commitment that continued even as shipping routes were disrupted. New Zealand converted to decimal currency in July 1967, which ended this series and triggered a systematic withdrawal and destruction of remaining stock.