Catalog
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| Issuer | Bank of New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1917 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1914-1967) |
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| Obverse description | The upper register carries the bank title 'BANK OF NEW ZEALAND' in ornate gothic lettering, flanked by two intaglio vignettes: a Maori figure in traditional dress before a woven storehouse at left, and a coastal Pacific scene with sailing vessel and palm trees at right. The central text panel bears the promise-to-pay legend and denomination 'TEN SHILLINGS' in bold letterpress, supported by an elaborate guilloche underprint in blue and red tones. The date 'Wellington 1st day of October 1917' is inscribed in the lower portion of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | BANK OF NEW ZEALAND 10 10 SHILLINGS SHILLINGS |
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| Comments |
The Bank of New Zealand's earliest fully documented private banknote series, the 1917 issues were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson during wartime — a period when transatlantic shipping risks made the delivery of printed currency genuinely hazardous. New Zealand's note-issuing landscape at the time was dominated by private trading banks, with no central bank until 1934, meaning the BNZ operated with considerable autonomous authority over its own paper.
Pick 1 is the lowest-numbered entry in the New Zealand catalogue for a reason: pre-1917 BNZ issues remain poorly documented or are unconfirmed as distinct types. Whether earlier printings existed in comparable form is still debated among specialists.