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5 Pounds
| Issuer | Bank of Africa Limited, Johannesburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1889-1920 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Blue-tinted note with the bank title THE BANK OF AFRICA LIMITED arched across the top within an ornate engraved border. Two oval vignettes flank the central text field: the left vignette contains a globe motif within a guilloche frame lettered POUNDS / FIVE, and the right vignette shows a harbor or coastal scene similarly framed. The central panel bears a manuscript promise-to-pay clause, the denomination FIVE POUNDS in bold letterpress, a handwritten date (3rd May 1907), dual serial numbers, and the printed legend BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS above two manuscript signatures with the roles of Entd. and Manager; the lower margin reads JOHANNESBURG THE TRANSVAAL. |
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| Obverse lettering | THE BANK OF AFRICA LIMITED Promise to pay to the Bearer on Demand at their Office here FIVE POUNDS Value recd. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS JOHANNESBURG THE TRANSVAAL FIVE 5 |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Africa Limited was a British-registered colonial bank incorporated in 1879, with its Johannesburg branch opening in the wake of the Witwatersrand gold rush. It was absorbed by the Standard Bank of South Africa in 1920, which explains the wide dating range on this series — notes could remain in circulation or held as instruments across the entire operating life of the branch.
Waterlow & Sons produced a substantial portion of southern African colonial banking paper during this period, and their work for the Bank of Africa follows the same security printing conventions applied to comparable issues for other regional banks. No significant plate errors are recorded for P#S564.