10 yuan 1921
Market Prices
About This Note
This is an exceptional PMG 67 EPQ example of the 1921 Chinese Italian Banking Corporation 10 Yuan note, featuring a striking blue and pink color scheme with an ornate architectural vignette at center depicting a traditional Asian pagoda or temple structure. The note displays pristine paper quality with no visible wear, circulation marks, or imperfections, representing a high-grade specimen of this early Republican-era banknote printed by the American Bank Note Company.
Common. While this is a remainder banknote (printed but never issued in circulation), the denomination, issuer, and period place it within the broader category of early Republican Chinese currency. Market data from eBay shows substantial price variation ($185–$4,179), but the presence of multiple listings across various grades and the availability of specimens in the PMG 67 range indicate this note is not scarce. The PMG 67 EPQ grade itself is noteworthy for quality, but the underlying Pick number P-S255r does not represent a rare printing or limited-emission issue.
The Chinese Italian Banking Corporation operated during the early Chinese Republic period (1912-1949), a time of significant foreign banking involvement in China. The note's central architectural imagery—a traditional Asian temple or pagoda—symbolizes Chinese cultural heritage, while the English and Chinese bilingual inscriptions reflect the international commercial environment and foreign institutional presence in Republican China during this period of modernization and Western economic influence.
The obverse features a blue and multicolor design dominated by a central vignette of a traditional Chinese pagoda or temple structure with multiple tiers and ornamental roofing, surrounded by landscaping elements, all contained within an elaborate decorative frame. The denomination '10' appears in decorative lotus or flower-shaped cartouches in all four corners. The reverse displays a predominantly red/crimson color scheme with large central numeral '10' in ornamental framing, surrounded by identical corner medallions and scalloped floral border designs. Both sides employ fine scrollwork, geometric patterns, and traditional Chinese artistic elements in the decorative borders, with bilingual (Chinese and English) inscriptions reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of the issuing institution.
Front: '拾圓' (Ten Yuan), '震義銀行' (Chinese Italian Banking Corporation), Serial Number '376441'. Back: 'THE CHINESE ITALIAN BANKING CORPORATION' (English institutional name), 'TEN YUAN' (English denomination), 'OF THE NATIONAL COINAGE OF THE CHINESE REPUBLIC' (legitimacy statement), 'SEPTEMBER 1923 1921' (date notation), 'AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY' (printer attribution), with signature designation areas marked 'PRESIDENT' and 'MANAGER'.
Intaglio engraving and letterpress printing, executed by the American Bank Note Company (ABNC) as noted on the reverse. The fine line work, intricate decorative patterns, detailed scrollwork, and high-quality color registration visible throughout both sides are characteristic of ABNC's advanced intaglio process, which was the premier security printing technique of the period. The multicolor printing (blue, pink, red) with precise color separation demonstrates sophisticated chromatic engraving capabilities.
This specimen is identified as a 'remainder banknote' per the REALBANKNOTES.COM catalog designation, indicating it was a printing plate proof or unissued stock. The note lacks signature or branch office designation on the obverse, which is consistent with remainder specimens. Serial number 376441 is visible on both sides. No overprints, date variations, or signature varieties are evident in this example, placing it as a standard variety of the P-S255r issue from 1921.
