Lot 4631

Description

Tamar Bank, Launceston, bank share for fifty pounds, dated First day of September 1835 No.168 (only 183 printed), on vellum, issued to William Field, signed by Directors, Philip Oakden and Lewis Gilles. A very rare example of this early bank as no banknotes are known to have survived, some folds and pinholes, otherwise nearly extremely fine and extremely rare.

Ex Noble Numismatics Sale 61, lot 4778 and Sale 90, lot 2742. The Tamar Bank opened for business on 1 January 1835, and ceased operation on 30th April 1838 when it was absorbed by the Union Bank of Australia, re-opening the next day as the first branch of this newly formed bank. Lewis Gilles remained as manager of the Union Bank branch. The Union Bank continued operating until 1951 when it merged with the Bank of Australasia to form the A.N.Z. Bank Ltd, and later in 1970 a merger with the E.S.& A. Bank resulted in the ANZ Banking Group Ltd.