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20 Pounds
| Issuer | African Banking Corporation Limited, Johannesburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900-1920 |
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| Composition | Cotton paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black intaglio over a salmon-pink guilloche underprint, with the denomination numeral '20' in each upper corner. At upper centre, a rectangular cartouche bears the inscription 'TRANSVAAL ISSUE'. A classical allegorical female figure in robes, rendered as a detailed intaglio vignette, occupies the left panel. The central text panel carries the promise-to-pay legend in copperplate script, with 'TWENTY POUNDS' emphasised in bold letterpress, and 'JOHANNESBURG' and a partial date '189_' printed below, above the signature lines for Accountant and Manager. |
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| Obverse lettering | TRANSVAAL ISSUE AFRICAN BANKING CORPORATION LIMITED TWENTY POUNDS Nº Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand the sum of TWENTY POUNDS Sterling at their Office here. JOHANNESBURG For African Banking Corporation Limited. ACCOUNTANT MANAGER SPECIMEN |
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| Comments |
The African Banking Corporation was a British-registered institution operating across southern Africa, and its Johannesburg branch notes occupy an awkward historical moment — the city had only recently been reoccupied by British forces following the fall of the Transvaal in 1900, and commercial banking infrastructure was being rebuilt almost from scratch. A 20-pound denomination was never a note for ordinary transactions; this circulated among mining houses, merchants, and inter-bank settlements.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled the printing throughout this period for numerous colonial and commercial banks, and their security work was consistent and technically accomplished. The African Banking Corporation was eventually absorbed into Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas) in 1925, which effectively ended the series.