100 Dollars

The Mercantile Bank of India, Limited had roots in the old Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China, which collapsed in 1893 and was reconstituted under this name. By the time this series was issued, the bank was operating primarily through its Hong Kong and Singapore branches — the Hong Kong dollar notes being the more commonly encountered survivals today. A $100 face value meant this note was rarely handled by anyone outside commercial trade finance.

Waterlow & Sons produced the plates, and their work for colonial-era banking institutions across Asia and Africa during this period was prolific enough that the printing style will look familiar to anyone who handles notes from multiple issuers of this generation. The forty-odd year date span suggests the same plates ran with minimal modification across multiple printings.