1 dollar 1936

Common. The eBay price data provided shows consistent circulation and sales across a wide range of condition grades from 2009 to 2025, with UNC examples selling between $182.50 and $455 historically. The abundance of transaction records spanning multiple decades and the current catalogue value of $300 for UNC specimens indicate healthy market availability. This is a standard Government of Hong Kong issue without evidence of restricted print runs, recall status, or exceptional scarcity. The frequency of examples appearing in secondary markets confirms common status despite being nearly 90 years old.

Issued in 1936 by the Government of Hong Kong during the reign of King George VI, this banknote reflects the colony's status as a British possession and its economic integration within the British Empire's monetary system. The prominent display of the monarch's portrait and English-language legal tender declarations underscore Hong Kong's colonial governance structure during this period. The ornate design with bilingual Chinese and English inscriptions demonstrates the colonial administration's acknowledgment of the local Chinese population while maintaining British institutional authority.

The obverse features King George VI in formal dress positioned at right, rendered in the classical engraving style typical of British colonial currency. A large ornate oval frame containing Chinese denomination characters dominates the left side of the note, surrounded by circular seals bearing Chinese characters positioned at all four corners. The design incorporates bilingual text emphasizing legal tender status and government authority. The reverse presents a symmetrical design centered around an ornate oval frame with Chinese characters, flanked by decorative floral or foliate motifs. Dollar sign denominations ($1) appear in all four corners. Throughout both sides, intricate geometric patterns, fine line work, and repeating designs create an integrated security print effect characteristic of high-value colonial currency.

FRONT SIDE: 'GOVERNMENT OF HONGKONG' (English) / '港香政府' (Traditional Chinese, Government of Hong Kong) / 'THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT' (English) / 'ONE DOLLAR' (English) / '圓貳壹' (Traditional Chinese, One Dollar) / 'FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF HONGKONG' (English) / 'FINANCIAL SECRETARY' (English) / 'S. Lane' (signature of Financial Secretary) / Serial number 'R676519' (appears twice) / 'BRADBURY, WILKINSON & Co LP ENGRAVERS, NEW MALDEN, SURREY, ENGLAND' (printer attribution). REVERSE SIDE: 'GOVERNMENT OF HONGKONG' (English) / '$1' (English denomination, appears in four corners) / 'ONE DOLLAR' (English) / '圓貳壹' (Traditional Chinese, One Dollar) / 'BRADBURY, WILKINSON & Co LP ENGRAVERS, NEW MALDEN, SURREY, ENGLAND' (printer attribution).

Intaglio engraving (line engraving) executed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co LP of New Malden, Surrey, England—one of the world's premier security printers of the era. The technique is evidenced by the extensive fine-line geometric patterns, precise engraved borders, complex background mesh work, and ornate decorative elements observable throughout both sides. The depth and clarity of the portrait and the intricate security features indicate professional banknote-grade engraving executed on steel plates, with the characteristic sharp registration and fine detail reproduction possible only through intaglio methods.

This specific example features the signature of S. Lane as Financial Secretary and bears serial number R676519. The note conforms to the standard 1936 Government of Hong Kong issue (Pick 312) without visible overprints or emergency markings. Varieties for this Pick number are not widely documented in major catalogs; primary differentiation typically occurs through serial number prefixes and signatures of different Financial Secretaries across the printing period. The R-prefix serial number and Lane signature represent standard characteristics for notes from this issuance batch.