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5 Pounds Sterling
| Issuer | National Bank of South Africa Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1913 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1694-date) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Green-tinted note with a central vignette of the Cape Colony coat of arms flanked by the numeral '5' and the word 'FIVE' repeated at intervals across the face. The bank title 'THE NATIONAL BANK OF SOUTH AFRICA LIMITED' is printed in bold red lettering across the centre, with the promise-to-pay clause and the payable location 'CAPE TOWN' rendered in red below. The denomination 'FIVE POUNDS Sterling' appears in large red letterpress text, the date '4th July, 1913' is printed in black, and serial number panels appear at upper left and right with a further serial at the lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Variants | P#S343a - Issued note P#S343b - Perforated CANCELLED |
| Comments |
The National Bank of South Africa Limited was a commercial bank, not a central bank — it operated branches across the Union and issued its own notes under the provisions that governed private bank currency before the South African Reserve Bank was established in 1921. Once the Reserve Bank opened and began absorbing the right of note issue, private bank notes like this one were progressively withdrawn. The National Bank itself was eventually absorbed into Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas) in 1926.
Perkins, Bacon had long experience printing South African bank paper, but attributing the print location to South Africa requires scrutiny — Perkins, Bacon operated from London, and "Printed: South Africa" in the catalog record likely reflects where notes were completed or issued, not necessarily where the plates were inked.