New Zealand ND (1924-1933) - Bank of New South Wales Ten Shillings Proof, Perforated SPECIMEN (Pick S161s)
The design itself exemplifies Skipper and East mature interwar engraving style. Ornamental guilloche frames, dense microlettering within the TEN SHILLINGS value panels, and balanced symmetry reflect London security printing conventions intended to convey institutional authority and trust. The central vignette combines maritime and pastoral imagery, showing an allegorical female figure with sheep in the foreground and a fully rigged sailing vessel behind. This imagery functions as a visual synthesis of agriculture, trade, and transport, representing the economic foundations of Australasian banking and commerce during the early twentieth century. Read more →