Description and research notes
A high-denomination specimen from the Bank of New Zealand color lineage, the ten pounds brown (Pick S193bs) represents the serial-prefix approval format bearing dual printed control numbers, 097476 at upper left and 102475 at lower right. These serial-prefix specimens were produced for internal audit, plate approval, and archival reference purposes, distinct from zero-serial specimen impressions.
Engraved and printed in London between 1895 and 1908 by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company, Limited, the note reflects mature late-Victorian engraving practice. The obverse composition features paired Māori figures, a maritime vignette, and a structured brown duty-tint guilloche frame associated with upper-denomination issues. The brown coloration forms part of the Bank of New Zealand’s chromatic system, positioned alongside the one pound green and five pounds orange within the BNZ color lineage.
The specimen carries a perforation reading 'SPECIMEN' applied across the central design, executed through pin-perforation rather than ink overprint. This perforation functions as a printer-applied specimen designation. A wide vertical audit margin at left remains intact, consistent with printer file copies retained for internal reference and documentation.
Within New Zealand’s private banknote era, the ten pounds denomination represented a high-value instrument used for institutional and interbank purposes. Circulation examples were typically redeemed and destroyed, leaving specimen material as the primary surviving record of the type.
As a specimen combining dual control serial numbers, perforated specimen designation, retained audit margin, and full original engraved structure, this example documents Bradbury Wilkinson’s production and verification workflow during the late colonial period.
Surviving specimens of the S193s type are extremely scarce. Positioned alongside the one pound green (Pick S191s) and five pounds orange (Pick S192s), the ten pounds brown completes the BNZ color lineage and represents the highest denomination within this pre-Reserve Bank engraved series.