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Auction: 25400 - World Banknotes - e-Auction
Lot: 983

A large series of correspondence to and from Waterlow & Sons on banknote production, including sheets of watermark paper as samples, 1894-1906,
The enclosed letters between H. W. Rapkin, engraver, John Bass, Director, and father to Harry Bass, all of Waterlow & Sons, relate to the thickness and opacity of paper provided by J. Barcham Green & Son, and T. H. Saunders & Co.

The overall narrative is as follows: the Imperial Bank of Canada have submitted an order to Waterlow & Sons for the production of banknotes, whose paper should be "of very best quality & strength." Waterlow in turn submitted an order to T. H. Saunders paper-makers, specifying that "Substance, quality and opacity must be fully equal to sample, if possible must be more opaque. Opacity is of the greatest importance. Will Mr Monckton please see to this."

Upon fulfilment of the order, the Imperial Bank of Canada complained about the quality of the paper. This evidently sparked debate between Waterlow and Saunders as to the initial instructions and the status of an order as having been approved or rejected. As a result, as per H. W. Rapkin's letter to colleague H. J. Bass dated 9/3/1906, an additional request was made by Waterlow to paper-makers J Barcham Green & Son for a sample that will corroborate their claims about paper strength and opacity and disprove Mr Monckton of T. H. Saunders.

The three samples (4 separate sheets) provided by Barcham Green & Son are included here and feature:

a pair of facing watermark papers for the Northern Banking Company (make of August 1894), perforated "specimen",
a pair of facing watermark papers for the Colonial Bank (make of May 1899), perforated "specimen",
a sheet of three watermark papers for the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Company, perforated "specimen".

Among these letters are not only interesting insights into the banknote production process, but also an entertaining example of a professional squabble. We leave it to the successful bidder to enjoy the task of deciphering the fascinating full story.




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Estimate

Starting price
£140