Description and research notes
An archival £1 Red specimen from the Bank of New Zealand private-issue series, catalogued as Pick S212bs and drawn from the opening serial block G000001–G100000. This example was pulled directly from the working plates of Bradbury Wilkinson & Co., London, as an approval and control specimen for internal printer and bank-director reference during the closing phase of BNZ private note production.
The presence of live production serial numbers with the letter prefix G clearly distinguishes this class from unnumbered file specimens. The perforated CANCELLED across the signature panel confirms archival invalidation of a fully completed, final-design note rather than a proof or presentation pull. Specimens of this type preserve the finished design together with the actual serial logic employed in production.
The red duty tint completes the established chromatic hierarchy of BNZ private issues produced by Bradbury Wilkinson: Green (£1), Orange (£5), Brown (£10), Red (£1 redesign), and the terminal high denomination of the series — the Blue £20. Within this structure, the £1 Red represents the final low-denomination iteration, while the £20 Blue stands as the archival apex of the entire BNZ private-issue hierarchy.
The design reflects mature Edwardian engraving practice, featuring paired Māori figures, a coastal trade vignette, and dense lathe work in the ONE panel, directly evolving from the earlier £5 Orange (Pick S192s) and £10 Brown (Pick S193s) specimens.
The G000001–G100000 range functioned as the opening control block within a structured multi-block printing order. Archival evidence indicates continuation with G100001–G300000, followed by an alphabetical transition to E300001–E400000. The pencilled annotation dated 19 January 1915 on the selvage aligns with Bradbury Wilkinson internal press-balance markings and confirms late–World War I handling of this material.
With only two serial-prefix specimens of Pick S212bs recorded by PMG, this £1 Red specimen is correctly classified as R8 Extremely Rare.