AUSTRALIA. Commercial Bank of Australia Limited. 5 Pounds, ND (18xx). P-Unlisted. Specimen. MVR1. PMG Choice About Uncirculated 58 EPQ.
Perforated specimen printed by BWC with Black on blue ink, allegorical figure at top center, Chinese text at opposing ends, and perforated at bottom right of center. Uniface. The Commercial Bank of Australia was founded in March of 1866 and opened for business later that year, with their head office in Melbourne. Unusually for Australian notes, the front contains Chinese text (stating "5 Pounds of the Commercial Bank of Melbourne". According to Michael P. Vort-Ronald the Chinese text was added to the notes because the bank purchased gold from the large Chinese population in the Victorian mines in the 1860s. A very scarce specimen and surely missing from even the most advanced Australian private bank collections. Just a touch of handling limits the grade, but in the holder this specimen has the appearance of an uncirculated note.

Estimate: $3000.00- $4000.00