1 Cent Hong Kong Dollar #241

Front

King George VI (1895–1952), King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 1936 to 1952, whose portrait appears at right. This 1 cent note was issued by the Government of Hong Kong during World War II and the Japanese occupation period. The note includes bilingual inscriptions in English and Chinese, with the Chinese character '壹分' (one cent) prominently displayed at left. The text states these notes are legal tender for payment of any amount not exceeding one dollar, reflecting the fractional currency needs of wartime Hong Kong.

Back

Plain reverse with no printed design, typical of emergency and low-denomination wartime currency issues where cost and material conservation were priorities during the period of scarcity.

History

This 1 cent note was issued by the Government of Hong Kong during the early 1940s, a period encompassing World War II and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong (December 1941–August 1945). These small denomination notes were emergency currency issued to address the shortage of coinage and materials during wartime. The signature of C. G. S. Follows, who served as Financial Secretary, dates this note to the immediate pre-occupation or early occupation period. Hong Kong cent notes were eventually withdrawn from circulation and demonetized in 1995. The P-314 designation identifies this as part of the Government of Hong Kong's wartime fractional currency series.