Description and research notes
Photographic proof of a £5 Travellers Cheque prepared for the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney LIMITED around 1939, mounted on cardstock and annotated at upper margin for archival use. This early pre-war layout marks one of the first generations of CBC traveller’s cheques, preceding the coloured issues of the 1960s.
Produced during the late interwar period when secure portable payment instruments were vital for travel within the British Empire, this proof reflects the evolution of Australian financial printing in collaboration with Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London. The fine typographic composition, deep guilloche background, and continuous ‘BRADBURY WILKINSON AND COMPANY LIMITED’ underprint confirm its master plate origin.
The design showcases the CBC’s monogram in a large ornamental medallion at left, intricate border engraving, and redemption clauses payable at the bank’s main offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. It served as a final visual check before plate approval and production of operational cheques issued to customers travelling across the Commonwealth.
Historically, this 1939 proof bridges the institutional continuity between Australia’s interwar financial infrastructure and its postwar traveller’s cheque system. It documents how Australian banks maintained London-based printing contracts to guarantee international recognition and anti-counterfeit standards decades before modern traveler payment systems emerged.