50 Dollars

The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China received its royal charter in 1853 and was among the first British overseas banks to issue currency across the Eastern trade routes. By 1865, its Hong Kong branch was the primary point of issue for dollar-denominated notes, pegged to the silver trade dollar that dominated commerce throughout the region. Fifty dollars was a substantial sum — closer to a merchant instrument than everyday currency.

Batho, Sprague & Co. handled the printing in London, shipping completed sheets to be signed and dated at the point of issue. Local signing requirements meant that surviving examples often show multiple manuscript signatures from branch officers, occasionally crossed or countersigned when a bearer presented the note for authentication.

The bank later merged in 1969 to form Standard Chartered.