1000 yuan 1949

Common. Despite its historical significance and attractive design, the 1000 Yuan 1949 issue (P-847) is relatively common in the numismatic market. eBay transaction data shows consistent availability across all condition grades, with prices ranging from under $100 for lower grades (VG-F) to approximately $1,825 for PMG-64 specimens at the high end. The catalog reference value of $200 for UNC specimens aligns with moderate market activity rather than scarcity. Large print runs of early PBOC currency were typical, and this denomination and date combination has not been subject to widespread collection attrition or recalls that would create rarity.

This note was issued in 1949, the founding year of the People's Republic of China, marking the inaugural currency series of the newly established People's Bank of China. The prominent industrial imagery—featuring factories with smokestacks, harbor activity, bridges, and coastal fortifications—reflects the revolutionary government's emphasis on modernization, industrialization, and economic development as central themes of the new communist state. The design aesthetic, with its ornate Baroque-influenced borders and elaborate security printing, represents the technical and artistic standards of Chinese currency design during the early Cold War period.

The obverse features a panoramic industrial waterfront scene as its central vignette, depicting multiple merchant vessels and military ships in a busy harbor, factory buildings with prominent smokestacks generating smoke, a substantial metal bridge or railway bridge spanning the water, coastal fortification walls, and a pagoda or tower structure on the right side—all rendered in fine engraved line work. The central ornamental medallion contains Chinese characters in red and blue coloring with official seals below. The entire note is framed with an ornate Baroque-influenced decorative border featuring intricate scrollwork, floral patterns, and cloud-shaped corner ornaments in black, red, blue, and cream tones. The reverse presents a symmetrical design dominated by large decorative numerals '1000' positioned on both left and right sides, with elaborate oval cartouches containing Chinese text surrounded by geometric and floral patterns in dark purple and gray monochromatic coloring, maintaining the same ornate border treatment as the obverse.

Front side: '中國人民銀行' (People's Bank of China), '壹仟圓' (One Thousand Yuan), '一九四九年' (Year 1949), serial number '49365432', and series designation '<ⅢⅢⅣ>'. Back side: '中國人民銀行' (People's Bank of China), '壹仟圓' (One Thousand Yuan), date/series notation '1849', and denomination numerals '1000' appearing twice in symmetrical placement.

This note was produced using traditional intaglio engraving (steel plate engraving) combined with letterpress printing, a technique standard for high-security currency production of this era. The intricate fine line work, complex geometric background patterns, and ornate decorative elements visible throughout both sides demonstrate the multiple passes required for security printing. The note exhibits the characteristic depth and crisp detail of intaglio printing, with the elaborate scrollwork and anti-counterfeiting design elements meticulously engraved into steel plates. Early PBOC notes of this period were typically produced by the Chinese government's central printing facilities, likely the Bank of China Printing Works or similar state-controlled security printers.

This specimen displays series designation '<ⅢⅢⅣ>' (Roman numeral series marker) and serial number '49365432', indicating it belongs to an identifiable printing block. The noted date designation '1849' on the reverse may represent a batch or series code rather than the issue date. No overprints, signature varieties, or other distinguishing marks are evident from the visual analysis. Collectors should note that early PBOC issues occasionally exhibit subtle variations in serial number prefix formatting and series designations; this example shows standard formatting consistent with documented 1949 First Series issues.