Australia 1880–1910 - Commercial Bank of Australia £100 Specimen (Pick Unlisted)
The historical context of this note is equally important. Before the 1910 Australian Notes Act, each major commercial bank operated as both a private deposit institution and a note-issuing authority, backed by gold reserves and subject to varying degrees of colonial regulation. The Commercial Bank of Australia was among the most prominent issuers, and its large denominations were used for interbank settlement, bullion transactions, and wholesale commercial payments. These notes circulated in an economy that was rapidly industrialising and integrating into global commodity markets through wool, gold, minerals, and agricultural exports. Read more →