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20 Pounds British Linen Company
| Issuer | British Linen Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Printed in blue on white paper, the obverse carries the Royal Arms vignette at centre-top with the inscription "Incorporated by Royal Charter 1746" above it, flanked by four large concentric guilloche ovals at the corners and a smaller allegorical seated female figure vignette within a guilloche roundel on the left margin. The denomination numeral "20" appears in two additional guilloche medallions to the upper left and upper right of centre, while the full promise-to-pay text in copperplate script occupies the lower half of the note, countersigned in manuscript by the accountant and manager. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Incorporated by Royal Charter 1746 Edinburgh The British Linen Company Promise to Pay on Demand to the Bearer Twenty Pounds Sterling By order of the Court of Directors |
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| Comments |
The British Linen Company — formally a trading corporation chartered in 1746, only later evolving into a full banking institution — issued notes under its own name until absorption into the Bank of Scotland in 1969. By 1903 it was operating as a conventional bank in all but legal formality, though it retained its independent issuing right under Scots law throughout.
Perkins, Bacon's involvement is worth noting. The London firm had built its reputation on security printing for colonial stamp issues and was not the dominant choice for Scottish private bank work — making this a less typical production arrangement than the note's conservative appearance might suggest.