Description and research notes
The first Bank of New Zealand specimen and the foundation of the country’s pre-Reserve note lineage. Engraved and printed by Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, this £1 Green (Pick S191s) established the format later reused across all BNZ issues: paired Māori figures at left, a maritime vignette below, and an ornate lathe-worked duty tint framing the denomination.
Issued as an internal specimen for printers and auditors, the note carries control perforations and printer’s margins rather than serials, confirming its file-copy origin. It represents the BNZ’s first mature engraved design—Victorian in ornament, imperial in posture—and anchors the color lineage later completed by the £5 Orange and £10 Brown.
Together with the later [£5 Orange (S192s)](https://1994.pl/collection/item/new-zealand-1895-bank-of-new-zealand-5-pounds-orange-s192s-specimen.html) and [£10 Brown (S193s)](https://1994.pl/collection/item/new-zealand-1895-bank-of-new-zealand-10-pounds-brown-s193s-specimen.html), this note forms the nucleus of the Bradbury Wilkinson color series that defined early New Zealand currency design.