Taiwan / Republic of China – Bank of Taiwan 1960 10 Yuan (Sun Yat-sen & Xiluo Bridge)

• Issuing Authority: Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行 – Taiwan Yinhang)

• Denomination: 10 Yuan / Ten Dollars (拾圓 – Shi Yuan)

• Series Date Marked: Republic Year 49 (中華民國四十九年 – 1960)

• Standard Catalog Reference: Pick # 1968

• Serial Number: V 898025 B (Printed in sharp red typography twice on the right field)

• Printer: Central Engraving and Printing Plant (中央印製廠 – Zhongyang Yinzhi Chang, imprinted on the lower left margin)

• Color Palette: Deep ocean-blue, slate blue, and pale cyan with rose/salmon and light green lathe-work rosettes

Obverse & Reverse Design Elements

• Obverse (Face):

  • Portrait Vignette: Dr. Sun Yat-sen (Founding Father of the Republic of China) facing slightly left in a circular medallion at top.

  • Lower Vignette: The Xiluo Bridge (西螺大橋 / Siluo Bridge), an iconic 31-span steel truss bridge crossing the Zhuoshui River. When completed in 1952 with US aid assistance, it was the second-longest road bridge in the world (after the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge) and served as a major symbol of Taiwan's post-war modernization.

  • Denomination: Large central calligraphy reading 拾圓 (Ten Yuan) surrounded by multi-color guilloche security scrollwork.

  • Official Seals: Red vermilion official seals of the Bank of Taiwan Governor and General Manager.

• Reverse (Back):

  • Architectural Vignette: The Presidential Office Building in Taipei (formerly the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan during the Japanese colonial era), featuring its distinctive red-brick Baroque/Renaissance styling and 60-meter central clock tower.

  • Corner Denominations: Geometric engine-turned cartouches bearing the numeral "10" in each of the four corners.

Historical Context: The New Taiwan Dollar Era

• Monetary Reform of 1949: Following the 1949 monetary reform that replaced the hyperinflated Old Taiwan Dollar with the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD), the Bank of Taiwan was tasked with issuing localized currency for the island bastion of the Republic of China.

• The 1960 Series: The Year 49 (1960) issue reflects the consolidation of the Nationalist government on Taiwan during the Cold War. Emphasizing both republican revolutionary heritage (Sun Yat-sen) and national infrastructure achievements (the Xiluo Bridge and the Presidential Palace), this note circulated extensively throughout the 1960s economic boom before being superseded by later green 10 Yuan issues.

Technical & Visual Assessment

• Technical Grade: Choice Crisp Uncirculated (CU 63 – CU 64)

• Substrate & Preservation:

  • Clean, factory-fresh paper body showing zero commercial pocket folds, handling waves, or teller flicks.

  • Crisp, stiff paper stock retaining full original rag snap and rich intaglio ink relief across Sun Yat-sen's hair, the truss framework of the bridge, and the building facade.

  • Razor-sharp, perfectly square 90-degree corners with no blunting or tip rounding.

  • Clean margins free from pinholes, staple punctures, or edge foxing.

• Centering: Well-balanced margin framing on both face and reverse.