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1 Pound National Bank of Scotland
| Issuer | National Bank of Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1707-1970) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Printed entirely in black ink on white paper. The upper portion carries a central engraved vignette of the Royal Arms supported by two allegorical figures, flanked on each side by a circular guilloche medallion bearing a stylised pound-sign monogram. A rectangular panel below the vignette reads 'INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER', followed by the bank title in ornate script and the promise-to-pay text in letterpress. The lower section provides space for the handwritten issue date at left and two manuscript signatures with the printed designations 'Manager' and 'Accountant' at right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely unprinted, the reverse presents a plain paper surface with no typeset or engraved design elements. Handwritten contemporary ink notations are visible near the upper centre, consistent with endorsement or acceptance markings made during circulation. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of Scotland was founded in 1825 as a direct commercial rival to the Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland, the two Edinburgh incumbents that had long divided the Scottish banking establishment between them. By 1856 it had grown to over 100 branches, which explains the practical necessity of a note that could circulate convincingly across a wide geographic network rather than serving a single regional market.
Waterlow & Sons had been producing Scottish bank paper since the 1840s and brought a consistency to the engraving work that Scottish issuers prized. The National Bank continued issuing its own notes until its 1959 merger with the Commercial Bank of Scotland to form the National Commercial Bank — at which point this series became obsolete.