1 dollar 19xx

Scarce. While British North Borneo currency is not exceptionally rare, this 1 Dollar denomination from the 1886 series in Fine condition represents a scarce offering in the collector market. Catalog values from 2016 list this note at $500 in F grade, and a comparable example sold on eBay in 2010 for $747, indicating consistent collector demand and limited availability. The note's age (130+ years), issuing authority (a private chartered company with limited lifespan of monetary authority), and the inherent scarcity of well-preserved examples of this early colonial currency support a scarce classification rather than common.

Issued by the British North Borneo Company during the colonial era (1886), this note represents the private banking authority's monetary system in the territory before formal British crown control. The inclusion of Mount Kinabalu—Borneo's most iconic geographical landmark—reflects the Company's intent to emphasize the regional identity and natural resources of their chartered domain. The promise to pay "in kind on demand" at The Treasury in Sandakan underscores the Company's commercial authority and the unique dual nature of trading company governance in late 19th-century Southeast Asia.

The obverse features an elaborate Victorian-era engraved design with prominent ornamental borders in geometric and floral patterns flanking both left and right margins. The center depicts Mount Kinabalu, the distinctive 13,435-foot peak and primary geographical feature of British North Borneo, rendered in a landscape vignette format. The reverse presents a symmetrical design dominated by an ornate decorative frame with elaborate floral and geometric ornamentation in the Victorian tradition, with the denomination "ONE DOLLAR" featured prominently in the center and repeated on both left and right sides. Both sides employ fine-line engraving and cross-hatching characteristic of high-security banknote production of the era. A red coat of arms or official seal appears as an overlay element on the obverse, emphasizing the Company's official authority.

FRONT: The British North Borneo Company / Promise to pay the Bearer / ONE DOLLAR / in kind / The Treasury, Sandakan / On Demand / Accountant / Finance Commissioner / Serial number A627315 / Blades East & Blades Bank Note Engravers London. BACK: ONE / DOLLAR / (repeated) / Blades East & Blades London. All inscriptions are in English.

Engraved intaglio printing by Blades, East & Blades Ltd. (BE&B), a London-based bank note security printer. The note exhibits characteristics typical of late 19th-century intaglio production: intricate fine-line engraving, elaborate cross-hatching in background areas, multi-color printing (black on red underprint for obverse; green for reverse), and complex decorative borders designed for security and aesthetics.

Pick number P-3, identified by Blades, East & Blades Ltd. (BE&B) as printer. PMG records indicate 7 variants exist for this base Pick number, with varieties likely including signature variations (Accountant and Finance Commissioner signatures visible on this example), and potentially date variants or overprint differences across the 1886-1920 issue period documented in the reference data. The observed serial number A627315 should be cross-referenced against known serial number ranges to establish the specific printing run variant. No overprints or special designations are visible on this example.