Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
20 Dollars Silver Certificate of Deposit
| Issuer | Republic of Hawaii, Department of Finance |
|---|---|
| Year | 1895 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Dollars |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Black intaglio printing on blue-tinted guilloche underprint. The central vignette presents a standing female allegorical figure holding a trident, flanked by a steamship at sea in the background and a locomotive, evoking commerce and industry. To the left, an oval portrait vignette of a young girl with a puppy; to the right, an oval vignette of a rooster perched on an anchor. Large numeral '20' appears in each lower corner, with the denomination repeated in letterpress along the top and bottom borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in dark blue intaglio on plain paper, the reverse is dominated by a large central circular vignette containing the official seal of the Republic of Hawaii, showing the royal coat of arms with two figures and a rising sun motif, surrounded by the Latin date MDCCCXCIV. The seal is enclosed within the arched inscription 'HAWAIIAN TREASURY' above and the Hawaiian motto below, all set against an elaborate symmetrical guilloche pattern with numeral '20' repeated in each corner. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
Hawaii's Silver Certificates of Deposit were issued against silver coin held on deposit by the Department of Finance — a straightforward reserve-backed mechanism, but one that reflected the Republic's precarious position after the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani. The new government needed a functioning currency system that would reassure American commercial interests while annexation negotiations dragged on in Washington.
The American Bank Note Company handled all of the Republic's note production. This series is among the last Hawaiian government paper issues before annexation in 1898 rendered the domestic currency obsolete and all outstanding notes were redeemed.