Catalog
5 Shillings Sterling
| Issuer | Royal Bank of Scotland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1791 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Shillings Sterling |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is set on aged cream paper with a hand-engraved vignette in the upper left corner comprising a royal crown above a thistle plant, rendered in fine intaglio line work. The denomination "FIVE SHILLINGS" is inscribed in large copperplate script across the upper portion, beneath which the promissory text in flowing cursive reads "The Royal Bank of Scotland promise to pay to [payee] or Bearer on demand Five Shillings Sterling Edinburgh 3rd April 1791." The lower section carries manuscript signatures authorised by order of the Directors, consistent with the hand-signed issue practice of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain, printed on unadorned cream-white laid paper with no vignette, text, or decorative elements, showing only the natural texture and fold lines of the period paper stock. |
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| Comments |
The Royal Bank of Scotland's five shilling denomination sat at an awkward commercial position — too small for serious mercantile transactions, too large for everyday working-class use in an economy still heavily reliant on coin. Scottish banks had long exploited the legal latitude north of the border to issue paper at denominations the Bank of England could not, and the five shilling note was a direct product of that freedom.
By 1791 the RBS was well established on St. Andrew Square, competing aggressively with the Bank of Scotland and the proliferating provincial banks. Notes of this denomination from this period rarely survived use — paper turnover was high, and redemption records suggest most were exchanged within weeks of issue.