Catalog
1 Pound Sterling
| Issuer | London & Natal Bank Ltd., Durban |
|---|---|
| Year | 186x |
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| Reference(s) | P#S452 |
| Obverse description | Printed in green and black intaglio on cream-coloured cotton paper, the note carries the bank title 'LONDON & NATAL BANK LIMITED.' in bold serif lettering across the top, flanked by two ornate guilloche medallions each bearing the numeral '1'. A central vignette presents a pastoral scene with cattle and sheep beneath a heraldic shield, while an elliptical guilloche underprint below frames the denomination 'One Pound' and the issuing office 'DURBAN, NATAL', with serial number cartouches to either side. The lower portion bears the authority legend 'By Authority of the Board.' above manuscript signature lines for the Managing Director and Manager, with a decorative '£ONE' cartouche at lower left. |
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| Obverse lettering | LONDON & NATAL BANK LIMITED. No 04510 One Pound DURBAN, NATAL By Authority of the Board. Managing Director. Manager. |
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| Comments |
The London & Natal Bank was incorporated in London in 1862 specifically to service the Colony of Natal's growing commercial needs, with Durban as its operational base. It was a short-lived institution — absorbed into the Standard Bank of British South Africa by 1867 — which sharply limits the window during which this note could have been issued and circulated.
Waterston of Edinburgh was an uncommon choice for colonial banknote printing, a market dominated by Perkins Bacon and similar security printers. The "186x" date designation in the catalog reflects genuine uncertainty about the precise year of issue, likely within a very narrow range given the bank's brief independent existence.