Commonwealth of Australia First Pound Note, 1913

The first official Commonwealth of Australia £1 banknote, marked No. P 000001, will go

on show in the National Library of Australia’s Treasures Gallery, Canberra, from 11 May.

In 1913 the £1 note was sent to Prime Minister Andrew Fisher, a long-time champion of a

uniform Australian currency, by the Secretary to the Treasury, George T. Allen, with a

note reading, ‘I enclose £1 note No 1 as promised—You might give me a sovereign for it

later on.’

The 1913 £1 note was then given to Prime Minister Stanley Bruce in 1927 ‘for

preservation in the Commonwealth National Library’ by Fisher.

The 1913 series of banknotes, of which this £1 note is part, are the first to show the

Commonwealth Coat of Arms as introduced by the Fisher Government in 1912 to reflect a

more nationalistic vision of Australia. It proved controversial at the time because of the

absence of an image of King George.

While being kept in a secure vault in the National Library’s collection in Canberra, the £1

note was catalogued in a file described only as ‘specimen notes and other currency’.

After some detective work by coin experts and National Library staff, the note was

checked by an expert numismatist to appraise and value it. His verdict: ‘This is arguably

the most important banknote in Australia’s post-Federation history.’ He estimated its

worth to be about $1.5 million.

From Monday 11 May

10 am–5 pm daily

Treasures Gallery, free

Media Enquiries:

Sally Hopman, 02 6262 1704 or 0401 226 697

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BRADBURY WILKINSON AND

COMPANY, LONDON

(designers) and NOTE

PRINTING WORKS,

MELBOURNE (printers)

The first official Australian

one pound note, serial

number P 000001 (and

facsimile of reverse) issued

September 1913 engraving National Library of Australia