Catalog
100 Pounds
| Issuer | National Bank of Egypt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1899-1912 |
| Type | Specimen |
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| Obverse lettering | NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT I promise to pay the Bearer on Demand the Sum of One Hundred Egyptian Pounds ISSUED UNDER DECREE DATED, 25TH JUNE, 1898 Cairo For the NATIONAL BANK OF EGYPT Governor البنك الاهلي المصري أتعهد بأن أدفع لطالبه مبلغ مائة جنيه مصري للحامله حرر هذا السند بتعني الذكر ربيو المؤرخ في 25 يونيو 1898 |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green, the reverse is dominated by a large central guilloche medallion of elaborate lathe-work design, encircled by a series of interlocking rosette panels that fill the note's full width. The Arabic inscription of the bank name 'البنك الاهلي المصري' is set within the central cartouche alongside the denomination '100' and the currency abbreviation 'L.E.'. The overall design relies entirely on intricate geometric underprint patterns with no pictorial vignette. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank of Egypt was itself only founded in 1898 — a British-backed institution established under Egyptian state charter, with the concession granted to a consortium including Ernest Cassel. These early high-denomination notes were instruments of commercial banking as much as currency, used primarily for large mercantile settlements and interbank transfers rather than everyday exchange. A 100-pound note would have represented a sum far beyond ordinary reach in Egypt at the turn of the century.
Bradbury Wilkinson's intaglio work for this series was considered among the finest produced for a non-European issuer of the period. The plates required significant lead time before the bank even opened its doors.