Pre-Federation Australian Colonial Notes 1788 - 1910

 

Currency Notes Allison, T - Hobart Town Archers, Gilles & Co. - Launceston Bacon, Mathew Blackwell, John - Newtown Blaxcell, Garnham - Sydney Bradley, Frederick - Hobart Town Brown, W H - Geo. Town Britton, A B - Launceston Campbell, Robert - Sydney Clark, George Carr - Hobart Town Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Dean, John - Hobart Town Dowling, George - Sydney Downard, Richard - Hobart Town Dunn Edward - Hawkesbury Foster, Samuel - Sydney General Form Notes - Hobart Gibson & Curle - Geelong Hopkins, Henry - Hobart Hopwood's Ferry - Murray River, Echuca Hume, James - Hobart Town Hutchison, John - Sydney Town Jenkins, William - Sydney Johnson & Garratt - Restdown Jones, Thomas - Sydney Kelly, James - Hobart Town Kemp, Anthony Fenn - Hobart Town Kemp & Co. - Hobart Town Kemp & Gatehouse - Hobart Town Kinsella, Enoch - Sydney Lachlan & Waterloo Mills - Sydney Lake, Simon & George Aylwin - Hobart Town Lamb, W - Hobart Town Lascelles, T. A. - Hobart Town Lempriere, Thomas James - Hobart Town Lempriere & Co - Hobart Town Lempriere Weavell & Co - Hobart Town Lepine, John - Hobart Town Light, Colonel William - Adelaide Lloyd's Rooms - Sydney Loane, R W - Hobart Town London House - Hobart Town Lord, Simeon - Sydney Lucas, Thos - Hobart Town Mansell, Wm - Launceston Martin, John - Hobart Town Mash, Anne - Sydney Mather, Robert Andrew - Hobart Town Monds, Thomas Moore, W H - Sydney Mortimer, J - Hobart Town Murray, R L - Hobart Town Naylor, R - Launceston O'Neill, James - Sydney Pretchley, John - Hobart Town Peters, Thos - Hobart Town Pugh, John - Launceston Read & Bethune - Hobart Town Riley & Jones, Sydney Ring, W I River Don Trading Company - Devonport Robinson, G. W. - Hobart Town Robinson, M - Sydney Scott, Thomas - Hobart Town South Australian Company - Kingscote Speed, W J - Sydney Stace, Thomas - Hobart Town Stocker, W. T. - Hobart Town Stokell, George - Hobart Town Sydney House - Adelaide Tailby, Thomas Tasmanian House (Burgess & Barrett) Tawell, John - Sydney Terry, Wm Walford, B Sen. - Hobart Town Walker, Edward - Hobart Town Walton, A B - Hobart Town Waterloo Warehouse - Sydney Weavell, John - Hobart Town Whitechurch, W. M. - Van Diemen's Land Young & Dillon - Hobart Town

Government Bills Allan's Commissariat Currency Notes Commissariat Bills of Exchange Commissariat Store Receipts Drennan's Commissariat Currency Notes Paymasters' Notes & Bills Police Fund Notes Treasury Bills of Exchange Wemyss' Commissariat Currency Notes Private Banknotes Australian and European Bank Limited, The Australian Banking Company of Sydney Limited Australian Bank of Commerce Limited, The Australian Joint Stock Bank Limited, The Bank of Adelaide, The Bank of Australasia, The Bank of Australia, The Bank of Melbourne, The Bank of Newcastle, The Bank of New South Wales Bank of North Queensland Limited, The Bank of Parramatta Bank of Queensland Limited Bank of South Australia Limited Bank of Tasmania Bank of Van Diemen's Land Limited Bank of Victoria Limited Bank of Western Australia Bathurst Bank City Bank of Sydney, The City of Melbourne Bank Limited, The Colonial Bank, The Colonial Bank of Australasia Limited Commercial Bank of Australia Limited Commercial Bank of South Australia Commercial Bank of Tasmania Limited Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited Cornwall Bank Derwent Bank English, Scottish & Australian Bank Limited Excelsior Bank Federal Bank of Australia Limited, The London Bank of Australia Limited, The London Chartered Bank of Australia Limited, The Mercantile Bank of Australia Limited, The Mercantile Bank of Sydney, The Metropolitan Bank Limited National Bank of Australasia Limited, The National Bank of Tasmania Limited, The New South Wales Government - Treasury Oriental Bank Corporation Parramatta Trading Bank Port Phillip Bank Producers' Bank, The Provincial and Suburban Bank Limited, The Queensland Government - Treasury Queensland National Bank Limited, The Royal Bank of Australia (Ben Boyd's Bank) Royal Bank of Australia Limited Royal Bank of Queensland Limited, The South Australian Banking Company Sydney & County Bank Limited Sydney Bank Sydney Banking Company Sydney Deposit Bank, The Tamar Bank, The Tasmanian Bank, The Town and Country Bank, The Union Bank of Australia Limited Van Diemen's Land Commercial Bank Waterloo Company, The Western Australian Bank

Notes:

The issue of private currency notes became a practical and fashionable means of transacting business during the early decades of the 19th century. Traders, hotels, transporters and merchants took on the role of 'mini-bankers' by issuing their own notes. The value of the notes issued was usually backed by higher value bills, coinage (specie) or other business credits. The practice was especially prolific in isolated areas of Australia where bank branches were scarce or non-existent. For a prolific example, see the separate article on Tasmanian Promissory Notes.

From 1817 until 1910, many private banks and some State Governments issued banknotes in denominations up to one hundred pounds. Many of these banks have failed and many others have merged or changed name to become part of the large banking groups which survive today. Between 1910 and 1914, the Commonwealth Government utilised the banknote stock of 16 of these banks plus the Queensland Government - see the separate Superscribed Banknotes entry.

With the release of the superscribed Commonwealth of Australia notes in 1910, private bank issues were recalled and replaced with the new notes.

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