1914 One Pound Collins/Allen R18B Very Fine PCGS VF20

Front: Crown above national crest at centre, denomination in each corner

Back: Underground mining scene (Bendigo), denomination either side

Serial Number Format: Small seriffed letter and numerals, dark blue ink

Period on Issue: March 1914 ~ November 1914

Mintage: 3,200,000

This is a solid example of the paper money that circulated across Australia in the opening days of WWI.

Most collectors of Australian pre-decimal banknotes collect by "type", that is they start off looking to get one of each type of Australian banknote printed during our pre-decimal period.

One of the main stumbling blocks to a complete "type" set of Australian one pound notes is the Treasury series one pound as seen here.

The Treasury Series of Australian Commonwealth Notes

The "Treasury" series of Australian banknotes was on issue between 1913 and around 1923 - these notes are referred to as "Treasury" notes by collectors because they were the first Australian banknotes issued for the Australian Commonwealth Treasury.

There were a number of changes made to the way Australia's currency notes were printed in the decade between 1913 and 1923 - not only did the signatories change from Collins and Allen to Cerutty and Collins, but the format of the serial numbers added to each of the notes changed several times also.

When it comes to the Treasury series 1 Pound notes, collectors have 6 different varieties of note to choose from. There are 5 varieties of Collins Allen 1 Pound note, and one variety of Cerutty Collins note. All of this means that each of the Collins Allen 1 Pound notes varieties were only ever offered for incredibly short periods of time, as the table below shows:

Any collector that has kept an eye out for Collins / Allen 1 Pound notes being offered for sale via auction over any meaningful period of time will attest that they are incredibly difficult to get in original condition.

As the images here show, this particular note has been affirmed by PCGS to have original paper, it clearly retains intact edges and corners. The brightness of the paper is exactly as you'd expect to see from a decent note that survived circulation throughout WWI, the simultan colours remain have been softened with the passage of time.

It really is a solid representation of the paper money that circulated across Australia in the opening days of WWI.

Click the PCGS icon below to verify the certificate details for this note directly on the PCGS website.

SKU: 2550