Lot 1568

Description

English, Scottish & Australian Bank Limited, Sydney, one pound, proof, issued at Sydney, Jany 1, 1894, (date printed), not numbered, not signed, no watermark, imprint 'Fergusson & Mitchell Limd Engrs', with vignette on left, a female with globe and anchor, shields above and below, seated female, with shields of Great Britain and Australia as central vignette, 'New South Wales' above and below, 'ONE' in centre, 'I' in right corners in circular tablets, 'Ã…â€Å‣ ONE' in tablet lower left, states, 'I Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand ONE POUND Stg. value recd. Sydney ....' back 'ONE' in blue across centre, 'I' either side all within complex and ornamental design, Black and yellow on white/blue and brown shades on white, (Vort-Ronald, type Four (a variant), p.156-161 on bank, one pound note of similar type illustrated Fig.169 [p.158], Tomlinson p.65 illustrates one pound note of similar type). Has been folded twice, very little aging tone, otherwise extremely fine, extremely rare and possibly unique.

This proof issue of the English, Scottish & Australian Chartered Bank, which was renamed in 1893 as the English Scottish and Australian Bank Limited (1852-1870), introduced new features on their notes as this proof from Melbourne of 1894 demonstrates. These features were introduced to improve the bank's quality of issued notes to help prevent forgery. The variation in colour tone on the back and the ornateness of the design with its complex vignettes were some of the techniques used to prevent photographic copies being prepared as forgeries. Local company proof's are rarely seen and not like the proofs from some of the London engravers and printers whose proof and specimen stocks have in recent times been released to the market.