Hong Kong twenty five-dollar note facts for kids

The Hong Kong twenty five dollar note was a special type of paper money used in Hong Kong many years ago. Unlike today, when most countries have one central bank that prints all their money, in old Hong Kong, several different banks were allowed to print their own banknotes. The twenty-five dollar note was one of these unique denominations, meaning a specific value of money.

History of the Twenty-Five Dollar Note

The first twenty-five dollar notes appeared in Hong Kong in 1864. These early notes were printed by a bank called the Oriental Bank Corporation. Imagine a time when different banks could design and print their own money!

Banks That Issued the Note

Over the years, several important banks in Hong Kong printed the twenty-five dollar note:

• The Oriental Bank Corporation started issuing them in 1864.
• The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (which you might know as HSBC today) began printing these notes in 1865.
• The Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) joined in from 1879.
• The Mercantile Bank started issuing them in 1889.

There were even some very old examples, called "specimens," from a bank called the Asiatic Banking Corporation. This bank existed between 1862 and 1866. A "specimen" note is like a sample or a test print, often made before the notes are officially released for use.

When They Stopped Printing

The twenty-five dollar note was not printed for a very long time. The last time this specific value was printed was in 1912. This was done by the Mercantile Bank. After that, this denomination was no longer part of Hong Kong's currency.