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100 Dollars Mauritius Commercial Bank
| Issuer | Mauritius Commercial Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1839-1841 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Dollars (20) |
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| Obverse description | Central harbour vignette engraved in intaglio, depicting a busy port with sailing vessels, a steam ship, and a large colonial building along the waterfront, all within an oval frame. Denomination numerals "100" appear at upper left and upper right corners, with the bank title "MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANK" in bold letterpress across the top. The promise-to-pay text and the large diagonal legend "ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS / TWENTY POUNDS STERLING" are hand-scripted and typeset across the lower half, with two manuscript director signatures and a cashier signature at the bottom, this example bearing a "CANCELLED" oval handstamp. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANK PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS TWENTY POUNDS STERLING COLONIAL CURRENCY VALUE RECEIVED FOR THE MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANKING COMPANY |
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| Comments |
The Mauritius Commercial Bank was established in 1838, making it one of the oldest commercial banks in the Indian Ocean region. Its early private banknotes — of which this is one — predate the colonial currency standardization that would eventually bring the rupee into dominance on the island. The use of dollars rather than rupees reflects the transitional monetary environment of the period, when Spanish and Portuguese dollar-denominated trade currency still held practical weight in Indian Ocean commerce.
Private bank issues from Mauritius of this vintage are exceptionally rare in any surviving form. The MCB series from 1839–1841 is almost entirely absent from major auction records.