Catalog
20 Dollars Mauritius Commercial Bank
| Issuer | Mauritius Commercial Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | Upper left vignette of a sailing ship at anchor with barrels and bales on the quayside, surrounded by an ornate engraved border of repeated scroll motifs. The bank title "Mauritius Commercial Bank" is set at top centre in serif lettering, with the denomination numeral "20" at upper right and again in large bold letterpress at lower centre reading "TWENTY". The promissory text, issuing location "Port Louis", manuscript date, serial number, and handwritten signatures of bank officers appear across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANK I PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF TWENTY DOLLARS COLONIAL CURRENCY VALUE RECEIVED FOR THE MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANK TWENTY |
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| Comments |
The Mauritius Commercial Bank was established in 1838, making this note effectively a founding-year issue from one of the oldest surviving commercial banks in the southern hemisphere. Private bank paper from Mauritius at this date is exceptionally rare — the island's early banking history was marked by the failure of multiple institutions, and surviving notes from solvent issuers of the period represent a tiny fraction of original production.
Pick S124 falls within the chartered bank series documented in the specialized literature on Indian Ocean colonial issues. Documentation on signatories and exact print run is thin.