Catalog
1 Pound = 20 Shillings Sterling
| Issuer | Bank of Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1780 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Uniface note executed entirely in copperplate engraving, with the denomination 'ONE POUND' inscribed in an ornate cartouche at upper centre flanked by the numerals '1' in oval frames. The body of the note carries the promise text in elegant cursive script, identifying the Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland and pledging payment of Twenty Shillings Sterling on demand. A decorative guilloche border runs along the left margin, with the place of issue 'EDINBURGH' set in letterpress at the lower left above manuscript signatures and a handwritten date. |
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| Obverse lettering | N.D. ONE POUND The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland promise to pay here to or bearer on demand TWENTY SHILLINGS Sterling Signed by Order of the Court of Directors EDINBURGH |
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| Comments |
Bank of Scotland's 1780 pound notes were issued during one of the more turbulent periods in Scottish commercial banking — the aftershocks of the Ayr Bank collapse of 1772 were still reshaping credit networks across Scotland, and surviving institutions like the Bank of Scotland were under pressure to demonstrate solidity. The denomination stated as "20 Shillings Sterling" rather than simply "One Pound" reflects the longstanding need to anchor Scottish currency explicitly to the English sterling standard, a habit that persisted well into the nineteenth century.
Eighteenth-century Scottish notes of this period are among the earliest surviving British commercial banknotes in private hands. Genuine examples from 1780 are exceptionally rare.