Catalog
10 Pounds
| Issuer | Natal Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 18xx |
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| Currency | Pound sterling (1694-date) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse carries a central allegorical vignette of two female figures flanking a heraldic shield above a pink guilloche underprint field. The bank title 'THE NATAL BANK LIMITED' appears in bold letterpress across the centre, with serial number panels at upper left and right. A promise-to-pay clause in copperplate script reads 'We Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at our Office here the Sum of TEN POUNDS Sterling value received', with spaces for date and manuscript signatures for Accountant and Manager below. The border is composed of intricate engraved scrollwork with repeated numeral '10' cornerpieces, and an inscription at top reads 'ESTABLISHED 1854 INCORPORATED BY CHARTER 1859'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE NATAL BANK LIMITED ESTABLISHED 1854 INCORPORATED BY CHARTER 1859 We Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at our Office here the Sum of TEN POUNDS Sterling value received. FOR The Natal Bank Limited. ACCOUNTANT. MANAGER. TEN POUNDS |
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| Comments |
The Natal Bank Limited was founded in 1854 and remained one of the principal commercial banks operating in the Colony of Natal until its absorption into the National Bank of South Africa in 1914. Bradbury, Wilkinson produced work of consistently high engraving quality for colonial and dominion issuers throughout this period, and their plates for southern African private banks are among the more technically accomplished of the genre.
The "18xx" date designation indicates the year field was left blank on the printed sheet, to be completed by hand or stamp at the time of issue — a common arrangement for private bank stock held in reserve. At the £10 level, these notes moved primarily between commercial houses rather than through retail hands, which accounts for the relative frequency of cleaner survivors compared to lower denominations from the same issuer.