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1 Pound Jersey Mercantile Union Bank
| Issuer | Jersey Mercantile Union Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue on white paper, the note carries the bank title in bold letterpress along the upper border, flanked by the numeral 1 at each corner. Three vignettes occupy the upper register: a harbour scene with sailing vessels at left, the Jersey coat of arms within a laurel wreath at centre, and a rural labour scene at right. A large guilloche-bordered panel in the centre bears the promise-to-pay text in script and the denomination ONE POUND in bold type, with two circular lathe-work rosettes at either side. The imprint of Charles Skipper & East, London appears in small type below the central panel, and manuscript signatures and entry notations are present at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, presenting a plain paper surface with no design, text, or ornamental elements, consistent with mid-nineteenth-century private bank note practice. |
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| Comments |
The Jersey Mercantile Union Bank had a short and troubled existence — it collapsed in 1886 following a run on deposits, one of several private bank failures that eventually pushed Jersey toward tighter financial oversight. Notes from this issuer are scarce simply because the bank did not last long enough to produce them in quantity, and the failure itself would have triggered rapid redemption and destruction of outstanding paper.
Charles Skipper & East printed for numerous small provincial and colonial banks during this period, often working from engraved steel plates that gave their output a quality well above what the issuing institutions warranted financially.