Catalog
1 Pound
| Issuer | Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd., Durban |
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| Year | 1889 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears the issuer's name 'THE STANDARD BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED' in bold lettering across the centre, flanked by two oval guilloche vignettes each enclosing a '£1' denomination numeral. A central vignette at the top carries an allegorical figure seated with agricultural implements. The promise-to-pay text, branch designation 'DURBAN', and manuscript date '1st March, 1889' appear in the lower portion, accompanied by two manuscript signatures to the right under the designation 'Managers Account'. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse design has not been captured in the available imagery; no description can be provided without a confirmed visual or catalog reference for this specific note. |
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| Comments |
W.W. Sprague & Co. produced fine commercial banknote work for numerous colonial institutions in the late nineteenth century, and this Durban-branch issue is among their earlier South African commissions. The note predates the formation of the Union of South Africa by over two decades, issued at a time when the Standard Bank operated through distinct regional branches, each with its own headed notes — Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, and others all issued separately.
Branch-specific pounds from this period are considerably scarcer than the later unified issues, as individual branch circulation pools were small and redemption rates high.