The Government introduced its Elizabeth II $1 on 1 July 1952, retaining the green colour and compact Bradbury Wilkinson format of the preceding George VI issue. Catalogued as Pick 324A and known locally as 英女皇, it remained in issue through 1 July 1959.
It is the final banknote in the Bradbury Wilkinson Government $1 series that began with the 1935 Whiskered Man.
Dates and catalogue varieties
Known date years are 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959, all signed by Financial Secretary Arthur Grenfell Clarke. Numista groups 1952, 1954 and 1955 as 324Aa, and 1956–1959 as 324Ab. This provides a clear seven-year date run within one portrait type.
The end of the paper dollar
Government $1 notes wore out rapidly in everyday use, and replacing them was costly. When cupronickel $1 coins were introduced from December 1960, the Government stopped printing new dollar notes. Government $1 notes remained valid for several more years before ceasing to be legal tender on 1 September 1969.
Government $1 notes remained familiar to older Hong Kong residents through years of use in tills and household drawers. Completing all dates of the Queen issue remains a relatively accessible collecting theme.
Design and condition
The note measures about 126 × 79 mm and was printed in Britain by Bradbury Wilkinson. Its portrait of the young Elizabeth II, bilingual government titles, engraved green borders and printed date define the face; the reverse continues the familiar ornamental value layout. Because these notes circulated heavily, folds, stains and washing are common, while naturally crisp paper is more desirable.
Collector’s perspective
- The seven known date years are 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958 and 1959.
- A complete date run shows the last phase of Hong Kong’s Government paper dollar before the 1960 coin.
- Check the printed date, folds and paper surface; early dates and untouched paper are less often encountered than ordinary circulated examples.