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5000 Customs Gold Units
| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central intaglio vignette of the Central Bank of China headquarters building in Shanghai, with the bank's English name inscribed in a panel above the architectural motif. A large guilloche cartouche below carries the numeral 5000 and the denomination legend in English, flanked by fine lathe-work borders. Two facsimile manuscript signatures of the General Manager and Assistant General Manager appear at the foot of the note, above the printer's imprint and date. |
| Reverse lettering | THE CENTRAL BANK OF CHINA FIVE THOUSAND CUSTOMS GOLD UNITS 5000 1947 THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED LONDON |
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| Comments |
The Customs Gold Unit was a fiscal instrument before it was ever a currency. Introduced to stabilize import duty collection against the collapsing fiat yuan, CGU notes allowed the Nationalist government to peg tariff receipts to gold — at least in theory. By 1947, the mechanism was already strained by inflation rates that made the underlying conversion rates increasingly fictional.
De La Rue printed this series in London, and the quality of production stands in stark contrast to the economic chaos the notes circulated through. The CGU series was short-lived; hyperinflation rendered the denomination structure obsolete within a year of issue.