Description and research notes
The closing chapter of the BNZ private-issue series, this £1 Red (Pick S212bs) carries live serials G000001–G100000 and a pencilled approval date 19 January 1915 on the selvage, confirming late-WWI production from Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London. It represents the definitive ‘with serial prefix’ format pulled directly from the working plates for printer and bank-director approval.
Perforated CANCELLED across the signature panel identifies an internal archival invalidation of a fully printed, final-design note. PMG classifies the type as With Serial Number Prefix (specimen of issued note) to denote authentic production numbering rather than dummy serials.
The design reflects Edwardian precision: paired Māori figures, a coastal trade vignette, and dense lathe work — evolving directly from the £5 Orange (S192s) and £10 Brown (S193s). This dated, cancelled specimen marks the final BNZ issue phase before the Reserve Bank’s centralization in 1934.