10 dollars 1923

Common. The catalog references show this as a regular issue with documented eBay sales history, including a VF specimen selling for $1.25 in 2010. The 2016 catalog values place VF examples at $15, which is well within the range of readily available early 20th-century Chinese banknotes. The American Bank Note Company's involvement and the straightforward design indicate a standard production run without the characteristics (small print run, recall, short-lived issuer) that would indicate rarity. This denomination and issue type circulates frequently in collector markets.

This note was issued during the early Republican period of China, specifically in 1923 (Year 20 of the Republic of China era), when the Central Bank of China was consolidating monetary authority following the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. The presence of both Chinese traditional characters and English text reflects China's period of international engagement and the reliance on Western printing expertise through the American Bank Note Company. The formal portrait, ornate security features, and the notation '兌換' (exchangeable/convertible) indicate this was part of a modernized currency system designed to project governmental legitimacy and financial stability during a turbulent period of Chinese history.

The obverse features a classical oval portrait of Sun Yat-sen (the founding father of the Republic of China), rendered in formal profile view and framed within an elaborate security oval. The portrait is surrounded by ornate geometric and floral decorative borders in brown and mauve/pink tones on a cream background. Decorative corner medallions with stylized Chinese characters appear in each corner, while black security overprints in Chinese characters flank the portrait on left and right. The reverse presents a symmetrical design dominated by large '10' numerals in corners and center, with ornamental shields and borders. The entire surface of both sides features intricate engraved line work and cross-hatching patterns serving as anti-counterfeiting measures. Text attribution to the American Bank Note Company (ABNC) appears on the reverse.

FRONT SIDE: '中央銀行' (Central Bank) — the issuing authority; '民國二十年中華民國' (Republic of China, Year 20 of the Republic) — dating the note to 1923; '壹圓' (One Yuan) — denomination in Chinese; '兌換' (Exchangeable/Convertible) — indicating redemption capability; 'A292680' — serial number appearing twice. BACK SIDE: 'THE CENTRAL BANK OF CHINA' (English text, issuer name); 'TEN' and 'TEN DOLLARS' (denomination in English); '10' (Arabic numeral denomination, appearing multiple times); '1923' (issue year); 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY' (printer attribution); 'A292680' — serial number appearing twice.

This note was produced using intaglio (engraved) printing by the American Bank Note Company (ABNC), a leading security printer of the era. The detailed observations of intricate line work, complex geometric patterns, cross-hatching throughout, and fine engraved borders are characteristic of high-quality intaglio production. The multicolor printing on the obverse (brown, mauve, pink, green accents on cream) and the precise black-on-cream work on the reverse demonstrate the technical sophistication of ABNC's processes, which included multiple passes and careful color registration.

This note is identified as Pick 176c, representing a specific cataloged variety of the 1923 Central Bank of China 10 Dollar issue. The visual analysis confirms the 157 x 78mm dimensions noted in references as the standard for this variety. The serial number visible (A292680) appears in both the upper and lower portions of both obverse and reverse, a standard feature of this issue. The note displays the characteristic brown-on-multicolor obverse and olive reverse coloring specified in catalog data. No exceptional varieties (such as rare signature combinations, overprint variants, or unusual serial number prefixes) are evident from the observed imagery.