10 Dollars Mauritius Commercial Bank

The Mauritius Commercial Bank, founded in 1838, was the island's first commercial bank — this note dates to its earliest years of operation, making it among the oldest surviving paper currency from the British Indian Ocean colonies. Private bank issues from Mauritius of this period are extraordinarily rare; most were redeemed, cancelled, or simply destroyed as the colonial banking system consolidated through the mid-nineteenth century.

The Pick S121 designation places it in the specialized commercial bank series, distinct from government-issued colonial currency. Survivors in any condition are seldom seen at auction.