10 yuan 1950

Common. While this is a Kinmen-restricted issue which adds historical interest, the 2008 catalog value of $75 UNC and the appearance of multiple examples in eBay sales history (including one selling for $53 in 2017) indicate this note is not scarce in the collector market. The denomination, issuer, and condition grade are all straightforward, and no evidence of low print runs or recall status exists. Kinmen-restricted notes from this period were produced in substantial quantities relative to their small territorial market.

Issued in 1950 (Republic of China year 39) during the early years of the Taiwan-based Republic of China government, this note was specifically designated for use in Kinmen, reflecting the complex post-1949 political division between the PRC and ROC territories. The architectural imagery of the Bank of Taiwan building on the reverse symbolizes the financial stability the ROC sought to establish in Taiwan following the Chinese civil war, while the inclusion of the Taiwan island map reinforces territorial identity during this pivotal historical period.

The obverse features a formal portrait of Sun Yat-sen (founder of the Republic of China), positioned centrally within an oval frame on a cream/beige field, surrounded by dark blue ornamental borders with floral and geometric patterns. Two red official seals appear below the portrait, typical of Chinese banknote design conventions. The reverse displays a classical multi-story banking building with columns and architectural detailing, representing the Bank of Taiwan itself, with the Taiwan island outline prominently featured below containing the numeral 10, flanked by the characters 金門 (Kinmen). Circular corner decorative elements containing the number 10 appear in all four corners. The entire design employs fine line engraving throughout.

OBVERSE: 台灣銀行 (Bank of Taiwan) | 拾 (Ten) | 拾圓 (Ten yuan) | 限金門通用 (For use restricted to Kinmen/Quemoy) | 中華民國三十九年印 (Printed in year 39 of the Republic of China [1950]) | R936985 J (Serial number). REVERSE: BANK OF TAIWAN (English text) | TEN YUAN (English denomination) | THE FIRST PRINTING FACTORY (Printer attribution) | 10 (Numeric denomination in corner circles) | 金門 (Kinmen/Gold Gate - Chinese characters flanking island map) | Repeated watermark pattern: BANK OF TAIWAN.

Intaglio engraving (line engraving) combined with multi-color lithographic printing. The printer is identified as FPFT (The First Printing Factory), as noted in the catalog data (S/M number T74-21). The fine line details in the ornamental borders, portrait rendering, and architectural elements are characteristic of high-quality intaglio engraving, while the multi-color application (blue, red, black on cream underprint) suggests additional lithographic color separation layers.

This specific example exhibits serial number R936985 J. The variety can be identified by the Kinmen restriction overprint 限金門通用, which distinguishes it from standard 1950 Bank of Taiwan 10 yuan notes. The Pick catalog number P-R105 designates this as a regional restricted currency variant. The note corresponds to catalog reference (S/M number T74-21) and shows the characteristic FPFT printer attribution. No additional signature varieties or major printing variants are evident from the visual analysis of this specimen.