5 Pounds Commercial Bank of Scotland

The Commercial Bank of Scotland, founded in Edinburgh in 1810 as a direct challenge to the Royal Bank and Bank of Scotland duopoly, was one of the more aggressively commercial of the Scottish joint-stock banks — hence the name. By the time this series was running, the bank had absorbed several smaller provincial institutions and operated an extensive branch network across Scotland. Waterlow & Sons, handling the printing in London, were among the most technically proficient security printers of the period.

The Commercial Bank merged with the National Bank of Scotland in 1959 to form the National Commercial Bank of Scotland, ending the issuing authority entirely. Notes from the later end of this 1924–1944 window are harder to find in any condition, as wartime paper shortages affected Scottish bank note production and reserve management alike.