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100 Dollars
| Issuer | Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1880 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in brown on cream paper and carries the heading HONG KONG BRANCH across the top within a decorative border of fine guilloche work. Two oval vignettes bearing the numeral 100 flank a central heraldic vignette of the Royal Arms supported by a lion and unicorn, with the inscription INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER above the coat of arms. The bank's full title, THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA, appears in a bold panel across the centre, beneath which the denomination ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS is expressed in large letterpress text; the word SPECIMEN is overprinted in the lower right area, with manuscript lines for Entd., Account, and Manager at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | HONG KONG BRANCH INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER HONG KONG THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA Promises to pay the Bearer on Demand ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS By order of the Court of Directors SPECIMEN Entd. Account MANAGER |
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The Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1853, operating as one of the exchange banks that financed trade flows across British imperial ports rather than functioning as a deposit institution in any modern sense. By 1880, its Hong Kong branch — where dollar-denominated notes of this type were payable — was competing directly with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which had been established a decade earlier and was rapidly consolidating dominance over local note issuance.
The bank was absorbed into the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in 1893, making all surviving Mercantile Bank notes pre-absorption issues by definition. High-denomination notes of this type saw limited street circulation; they moved between merchant houses and trading firms settling cargo accounts.