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5000 Customs Gold Units
| Issuer | Central Bank of China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5000 Customs Gold Units (5000 關金圓) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Sun Yat-sen in intaglio engraving within an oval guilloche vignette at centre, flanked by two red official seals below. The denomination 關金伍仟圓 appears in large characters within an ornate floral guilloche panel in the lower half, with the issuer name 中央銀行 at top and red serial numbers printed twice above and below the design. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette of the Central Bank of China headquarters building in Shanghai, rendered in fine intaglio engraving with architectural detail including a prominent clock tower, set within a decorative frame. Below, a large guilloche panel carries the numeral 5000 and the legend FIVE THOUSAND CUSTOMS GOLD UNITS, with two facsimile signatures of the General Manager and Assistant General Manager at the foot of the design, above the date 1947 and printer's imprint. |
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| Comments |
The Customs Gold Unit was not a general-circulation currency — it was a specialized accounting denomination introduced to collect import duties at a time when hyperinflation had made the standard Fabi hopelessly unstable for fixed-rate tariff assessment. By 1947, the CGU itself was losing the battle against inflation, and denominations climbed rapidly through the series.
Chung Hwa Book Co. was one of the major Shanghai commercial printers pressed into note production during this period, alongside the Central Printing Factory and Ta Tung. The CGU series was discontinued when the Gold Yuan reform swept in during mid-1948 — rendering the entire issue obsolete within roughly a year of printing.