Catalog
10 Pounds Sterling
| Issuer | Natal Bank Limited, Pietermaritzburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 185x |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is dominated by the bold heading 'NATAL BANK LIMITED' at the top centre, flanked by the denomination numeral '10' in large figures at each corner within ornate guilloche frames. Two oval vignettes occupy the left and right margins, each engraved with detailed architectural scenes of colonial buildings with horse-drawn carriages. The central text panel, printed over a salmon-pink guilloche underprint, carries a handwritten promise-to-pay inscription reading 'We Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at our Office here the Sum of TEN POUNDS Sterling value received' with 'PIETERMARITZBURG' and a partial date '18' below. A small engraved bank coat of arms appears above the central text, and a lower panel carries the word 'TEN' alongside the numeral '10' with a signature line designated 'GENERAL MANAGER'. |
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| Obverse lettering | NATAL BANK LIMITED TEN POUNDS 10 No. A We Promise to pay the Bearer on demand at our Office here the Sum of TEN POUNDS Sterling value received PIETERMARITZBURG By Order of the Board of Directors GENERAL MANAGER TEN |
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| Comments |
The Natal Bank Limited was established in 1854, making it one of the earliest colonial banks to operate in Natal. Notes of this series predate the Cape of Good Hope's own chartered banking consolidation, and the Pietermaritzburg branch functioned as the effective financial center for a colony still heavily dependent on British merchant credit.
The "185x" dating reflects an incomplete or illegible year on surviving specimens — not an undated issue. At this denomination, circulation would have been almost exclusively commercial; £10 was a significant sum in mid-century Natal, where most retail transactions still cleared in coin.