10 Pounds National Bank

The National Bank Limited was established in South Africa in 1891 and operated as one of the major commercial banks during the transition from colonial to Union administration. This note series spans the years immediately surrounding Union in 1910, meaning examples from the early end of the range predate the establishment of the South African Reserve Bank by more than two decades — commercial banks still held full note-issuing rights.

The high denomination kept actual circulation light. Ten-pound notes of this period typically moved between commercial institutions rather than through ordinary retail hands, which affects survivorship in complex ways: less physical wear, but also fewer notes ever issued relative to lower values.

The series was rendered obsolete when the Reserve Bank Act of 1920 began consolidating note-issuing authority.