Hong Kong Government
Ten Dollars · Bauhinia Flower · Special Administrative Region
Historical and Issue Context
The only banknote issued by the Government:unlike Hong Kong’s other denominations, issued by three authorized commercial banks, the $10 note is issued directly by the Hong Kong SAR Government through the HKMA. It was reintroduced in 2002 in response to public demand to retain the denomination as a banknote rather than only as a coin.6
From paper to polymer:the paper version circulated since 2002; In 2007 the Government adopted the polymer substrate for this denomination, printed in Hong Kong by HKNPL, the plant that HKMA acquired from the De La Rue group of the United Kingdom in 1996.7
A portrait-free design:unlike many polymer banknotes worldwide, this denomination omits portraits and relies entirely on the bauhinia flower — Hong Kong’s floral symbol — and geometric patterns as its central motif.
Key Details Visible on the Banknote
- Front and back:bauhinia flower and a rearing horse as a registration device, along with intricate geometric patterns.8
- Transparent panel:a central translucent window, a feature unique to the polymer substrate.9
- Watermark:a numerical image “10” visible from both sides of the note when held to the light.10
- Security thread:a straight metallic thread embedded in the banknote, clearly visible from both sides.11
- Matching registration:color patterns printed on the obverse and reverse that align exactly when held to the light.12
- Color:predominantly purple and pink tones, with a multicolored band on the reverse and the ideogram “拾” (ten) printed on both sides.
Additional Context
Hong Kong maintains an unusual issuance system: the majority of its banknotes are issued by three authorized commercial banks (HSBC, Bank of China Hong Kong and Standard Chartered), while the Government, through the HKMA, exclusively issues the $10 note. This denomination is today the only polymer banknote in circulation in Hong Kong, within a monetary system that otherwise continues to print its highest value banknotes on cotton paper.
Notes
1. Hong Kong Monetary Authority. “Ten-Dollar Polymer Note.”hkma.gov.hk: “The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has issued the ten-dollar polymer note since 2007.”
2. Hong Kong Monetary Authority. “Notes.”hkma.gov.hk: Hong Kong banknotes printed by Hong Kong Note Printing Limited (HKNPL), a plant acquired by the HKMA from the De La Rue group in 1996.
3. Wikipedia. “Banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar”: “These notes were printed in paper in 2002 and have been printed in polymer plastic since 2007.”
4. Banknote World. “Hong Kong — Government 10 Dollars Banknote, 2014, P-401d, Polymer”: dimensions of 132 × 65 mm.
5. Banknote World, ibid.: cataloged as Pick-401d for the 2014 issue; the Pick-401 family covers polymer variants from 2007 onward.
6. Wikipedia, “Banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar”: reintroduction of the $10 note by the HKMA in response to public demand following an attempt to replace it with coins between 1994 and 2002.
7. Wikipedia, id.: acquisition of the Tai Po plant from the De La Rue group in April 1996, now operated as HKNPL.
8. Banknote World. “Hong Kong — Government 10 Dollars Banknote, 2014, P-401d, UNC, Polymer”: bauhinia flower, rearing horse as a recording device and geometric patterns on front and back.
9. Wikipedia, “Banknotes of the Hong Kong dollar”: “The ten-dollar banknotes are made of polymer, and have a transparent panel.”
10. Wikipedia, id.: numerical watermark visible from both sides of the banknote, without reaction to ultraviolet light.
11. Wikipedia, id.: straight metal security thread, clearly visible from both sides of the banknote.
12. Wikipedia, id.: color patterns on the front and back that line up exactly against the light when the banknote is held against the light.