Hutt River Province
(later The Principality of Hutt River)
Treasury of Hutt River Province
Currency - Dollar (defunct)
You might be wondering, and want to know why I bother posting these notes here, let alone buying a full set in the first place. I have known this Hutt River Province story for many years, and after so many years of existence, it became part of the Australian story. I personally do not consider them as fantasy notes, after all these were once 'legal tender', but only in the Hutt River province, even though they were not recognised by the Australian government..
Here, I have posted a full set of 5 notes with values of 10 cents to $2, all reportedly released in 1974.
Hutt River Province Notes 1974 - 2020
The Hutt River Province existed from 1970 to 2020. The Principality of Hutt River was once a self-proclaimed independent sovereign State within Australia. The Principality was founded on 21.04.1970, when wheat farmer Leonard George Casley (b.1925-2019) declared his farm property as an independent micronation, and called it the Hutt River Province. It all started when the State Government of Western Australia in 1969 restricting the selling of wheat thus restricted Leonard Casley from selling his crops, which would have disadvantaged him financially. Shortly declaring its independence, Leonard Casley styled himself as - His Majesty Prince Leonard l of Hutt. The Principality went on, and developed its own flag, national anthem, issued coins (including silver and gold), and banknotes which were legal tender on his property. It also issued passports for those who wanted to become a citizen, and postage stamps to raise revenues. The newly formed independent State had a total land area of 75 km2, which was even much larger than Monaco (2.02km2), Gibraltar (6.8 km2); or San Marino (61.2 km2), just to name a few. The capital of Hutt River Province was called Nain, which consists of just a few buildings, but you will not find this on Google Maps (believe me, as I have tried). For those who had visited this micronation, an entry would be granted upon arrival, and every visitor to this principality would also get their passport stamped at the point of entry. Now, how good is that?
The Principality of Hutt River was located about 500+ kilometers north of Perth, the State capital of Western Australia. Obviously, the Government of Western Australia refused to recognise them, nor the Federal Government of Australia, or any other national government around the world. Prince Leonard l even tried to take his claim to the Supreme Court of Australia but without any success. After being proclaimed as an independent State, it became a regional tourist attraction, attracting up to 40,000 visitors a year from all over the world. After sitting on the throne for 47 years, Prince Leonard l abdicated in 2017,
and was succeeded by his youngest son, Prince Graeme. Sadly, Prince Leonard died on
13.02.2019 at the age of 91 years old. Unfortunately, on 01.02.2020, the Principality closed its door to visitors, and sadly to say again, on 03.08.2020, Prince Graeme
dissolved the Principality due to tax arrears/dispute with the Australian
Taxation Office. The property was then sold off to settle the tax
dispute. Obviously, the reason for dissolving the principality was mainly due to financial reasons, partly caused by the worldwide pandemic which restricted traveling visitors, both locally and internationally. At the time of the closure, the Principality had a population of about 23 people, mostly descendants of Prince Leonard.
It should be noted that the Hutt River Province was worldwide famous since 1970, with various international news media reporting of its existence between 1970 to 2020. Many articles were also written about them too.
The designs for this series of notes are very basic, and it does not seem to have any security features printed. A quick glance at them, you might think that they are fake or printed with a colour photocopier machine. For a start, there are no watermarks, security thread, fluorescent fibers, or any micro printings on the notes, as one would expect for those banknotes issued by a central bank. Obviously, counterfeiting was not an issue to the Principality as it would be unlikely for anyone to reproduce them for financial gains (my opinion). I am not sure if these are printed on genuine banknote materials either, but it does not seem to be. All notes are printed with different mono colours. The designs on the front look all the same, except the face value. Two sets of serial numbers are printed on the front, and the signature of Prince Leonard is printed vertically next to his portrait. The designs on the back are also similar, except that series of farm animals or farming equipment depicted on each of the notes. Each note is printed with the text - Legal tender only at the Hutt River Province. These notes were issued at par with the Australia currency, but not recognised by the Australian government. Whilst the largest denomination for the Hutt River Province was the $2, it should be noted that back in 1974, this would be considered a mid range value note. Back in early 1970, the largest Australia banknote issued was the $20, and the $50 was only introduced in 1973.
The quantity printed for these notes are unknown to me, however, it appears that each notes are printed with a single letter prefix - Ten cents with Letter E; Twenty cents with Letter D; Fifty cents with Letter C, $1 with Letter B; and $2 with Letter A. There are no Sunset Clause or Use by Date printed on the notes, and needless to say, the holder would expect the issuers to honour them when presented at the Principality prior to February 2020. Remember that you will need to travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers just to spend them, and all you can buy are services or just souvenirs produced by the Principality. It is also not sure if you can exchange them back to Australian currency (on demand) at the Principality either prior to its closure. It is believed that only one series of notes was issued.
Now, the question here is why would I bother to buy a set in the first place? As I mentioned earlier, the story of the Hutt River Province formed part of Australia's modern history. It is well known to the outside world since its creation, and more importantly, it has managed to survive for more than 50 years since it was created. If only these notes were printed with banknote security features would make them a bit more interesting to collect. Obviously, doing that would cost more to produce, and I am sure their main purpose was to generate revenues for the Principality, and as such cost effectiveness would have been taken into consideration then.
Signature - Prince Leonard I of Hutt
Imprinter - Unknown
Quantity - would not be more that one million pieces each (guessing)
Dimensions - 142mm x 73mm (for all notes)
Ten Cents
 |
| Prince Leonard I of Hutt (b.1925-2019) |
Front - Geometric patterns, Prince Leonard I of Hutt, Seal of Hutt River Province.
Back - Images of boomerangs and shields, geometric patterns, Seal of Hutt River Province.
 |
| Boomerangs and shields |
Twenty Cents
 | |
|
Front - Geometric patterns, Prince Leonard I of Hutt, Seal of Hutt River Province.
Back - Images of swans and pigs, Seal of Hutt River Province.
 |
| Swans and pigs |
Fifty Cents
 | |
|
Front - Geometric patterns, Prince Leonard I of Hutt, Seal of Hutt River Province.
Back - Images of cows and tractors, Seal of Hutt River Province.
 |
| Cows and tractors |
One Dollar
 | |
|
Front - Geometric patterns, Prince Leonard I of Hutt, Seal of Hutt River Province.
Back - Images of kangaroos and horses, Seal of Hutt River Province.
 |
| Kangaroos and horses |
Two Dollars
 |
| Prince Leonard I of Hutt (b.1925-2019) |
Front - Geometric patterns, Prince Leonard I of Hutt, Seal of Hutt River Province.
Back - Images of emus and native flora, Seal of Hutt River Province.
 |
| Emus and native flora |
Footnote: -
So, what do you think about these notes? Do you have a full set in your collection? Is it worth collecting?
I know that many collectors would disagree with me on this, and I would accept your opinions too. Somehow, I would consider these notes, just like those issued by: -
Walt Disney Dollar in the USA by Walt Disney;
Warner Bros. Movie World Dollar by Warner Bros. in Gold Coast Queensland Australia; and
Jason Islands Pound in Falkland Islands by Leonard William Hill.
Please note that I have not included those Chatham Islands Dollars in New Zealand issued by Chatham Islands Note Corporation, as these are slightly different from the above three mentioned, nor have I included those private issues in towns, and cities across Europe as the comparisons are not the same too.
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