In 1949 the Government $1 changed to green and — for the first time in this portrait series — carried a printed calendar date. Pick 324 covers dated George VI notes of 9 April 1949 (324a) and 1 January 1952 (324b). Collectors call the type the “Green Emperor” (綠皇). It closes the George VI colour sequence that began with purple and blue ND notes.
Hong Kong collectors often treat Government one-dollar notes as a five-nickname set: 鬍鬚佬 (George V), 紫皇 / 藍皇 / 綠皇 (George VI by colour), and 英女皇 (Elizabeth II). 綠皇 is the last George VI nickname note.
Dates and signatures
The 9 April 1949 date is associated with Financial Secretary C. G. Fellows; the 1 January 1952 date with Arthur Grenfell Clarke. Printed dates make variety collecting easier than for ND purple and blue notes: you can chase both 324a and 324b, then decide whether high-grade EPQ examples of each date are worth the premium.
Six months after the 1952 George VI green note, the portrait switched to Elizabeth II (Pick 324A) while the green colour remained.
Design and production
Still Bradbury Wilkinson, about 126 × 79 mm. Green ink suits a heavily used small denomination in a recovering postwar economy; together with printed dates, 綠皇 is the George VI type most often seen in modern Hong Kong dealer trays and online auctions.
Look for even green colour, intact corners, and a clear date line. These notes saw heavy market circulation and washing; original paper with an EPQ comment remains scarce.
Collectors use nicknames like “Green Emperor” (綠皇) based on the portrait and face colour.
Collecting notes
- Standard name: Hong Kong Government $1 “Green Emperor” (綠皇), Pick 324a (1949) / 324b (1952).
- Collect both 1949 and 1952 dates if you want the full Pick 324 set.
- A practical bridge between scarce pre-war colours and the common 英女皇 dates of the mid-1950s.