5 Pounds

The Durban Bank was a short-lived colonial institution, established in 1854 and operating through a period of intense competition among private banks in Natal. This 1862 note predates any formal banking legislation in the colony — the Natal Bank Act didn't arrive until 1868 — meaning the Durban Bank issued against its own reserves with no statutory framework governing its obligations.

Nissen & Parker of London produced the printed portion, but the handstamp security feature points to local completion before issue, a common arrangement when colonial banks received pre-printed sheets from London and validated them at the branch. The Durban Bank collapsed in 1865, making the window of issue for this note extremely narrow.