Catalog
1 Pound
| Issuer | Bank of Nassau |
|---|---|
| Year | 1870 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1694-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF NASSAU ONE Secured by approved coin deposited with the Government Securities or Receiver General & Treasurer Hereby promises to pay to bearer on demand the sum of ONE POUND SPECIMEN NASSAU, N.P. President Cashier Receiver General & Treasurer |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | POUND 1 POUND |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Bank of Nassau was a short-lived colonial institution operating in the Bahamas, and by 1870 it was already in financial difficulty. The note predates the colonial government's eventual takeover of currency issuance, issued at a moment when private banking in the Bahamas was essentially collapsing under the weight of poor lending and thin reserves.
Cotton paper was the norm for British Caribbean issues of this period, sourced almost exclusively through London contractors. Surviving examples from this bank are genuinely rare — the institution did not last long enough to produce notes in quantity, and redemption or destruction would have claimed most of what circulated.