Catalog
10 Pounds
| Issuer | Durban Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862 |
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| Reference(s) | P#S443 |
| Obverse description | Black intaglio engraving on white paper. The upper portion carries a central vignette of a harbour scene with sailing vessels, flanked by the bold letterpress legend DURBAN BANK; a small oval portrait vignette occupies the upper left corner and an ornamental numeral device the upper right. Serial numbers appear on both sides, with the promise-to-pay text in copperplate script reading 'We Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at our Office here TEN POUNDS Sterl. value received. Durban.' A large decorative ornamental 'TEN' in Gothic script fills the lower left quadrant, with signature lines for the Proprietors' representative and Chief Clerk at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse of this colonial private banknote is unprinted, presenting plain white cotton paper stock consistent with mid-nineteenth century South African bank note production. |
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| Comments |
The Durban Bank was a short-lived commercial institution operating in Natal during the colony's early banking period, before consolidated legislation brought stricter controls over note issuance. Very few private colonial South African notes from this period survive at all — most were redeemed, destroyed, or lost in the practical chaos of mid-nineteenth century frontier commerce.
Nissen & Parker were a London security printing firm active during this period, responsible for a range of colonial and commercial bank issues. Their involvement here confirms the note was engraved and printed in England, shipped to Natal, and then placed into local circulation — a logistical arrangement entirely normal for colonial issuers who lacked domestic printing infrastructure.
Ten pounds was a substantial sum in 1862 Natal.