2020-03-17 Tue

The history of Banknotes of Hong Kong begins when Hong Kong was established as a free trading port in 1841. There was no local currency available for daily circulation. Foreign currencies such as Indian rupees, Spanish and Mexican 8 Reales, Chinese cash coins and British currency were used instead.

With the Oriental Bank coming into existence in 1845, the first banknote of Hong Kong was issued. Nowadays, banknotes of legal tender in local circulation comprise six denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 Hong Kong Dollars. The above banknote was issued in late 2019 by the Standard Chartered Bank.

The front of the 20-dollar note shows the Standard Chartered Bank headquarters building; it has the denomination as a registration device and the "20" in green SPARK Orbital. The back of the note shows a man pouring tea for his family. Yes, tea: the best drink in the world. The watermark is a Bauhinia flower.

Image Courtesy: stevenbron.nl