From 28 September to 18 October 2017, Bank of China (Hong Kong) accepted orders for a HK$100 commemorative note marking 100 years of Bank of China service in Hong Kong. The bank first established a presence in the city on 24 September 1917.
Why a second centenary note
The 2017 issue marks a different milestone from the 2012 note: not the founding of Bank of China in Beijing, but the centenary of Bank of China’s continuous banking presence in Hong Kong, beginning with the opening of a local branch on 24 September 1917. That distinction explains why BOCHK issued a second HK$100 commemorative only five years after the first.
With 2.9 million single-note folders — more than double the 2012 run — the 2017 note is easier to acquire in uncirculated form. Collectors often compare folder artwork, serial prefixes and charity-linked thirty-note sheets when building a complete BOCHK commemorative set.
What appears on the note
The obverse features the Bank of China Tower together with older Hong Kong and Beijing headquarters imagery, the Great Wall, and symbols of financial strength. The reverse recalls the 1919 branch opening advertisement, logos from the 1983 Bank of China Group, and the first HKD note issued by BOCHK in 1994.
Issue quantities and packaging
- 2,900,000 single-note folders were offered at HK$288.
- 300,000 three-in-one uncut-note sets were offered at HK$988.
- 40,000 sheets of 30 uncut notes were offered at HK$13,888 each; sale proceeds supported Hong Kong charities.