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50 Dollars
| Issuer | Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The Hong Kong Branch issue note carries a central allegorical vignette of two classical figures — one seated and one standing — flanked by a palm tree and a coastal scene in the background, rendered in fine intaglio engraving. The upper border reads HONG KONG BRANCH with FIFTY in rectangular panels at both left and right, while the full bank title THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA appears in bold letterpress below. The promise-to-pay text is set in copperplate script across the face, with manuscript spaces for note number, date, and signatures for the Entd., Account, and Manager positions at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | HONG KONG BRANCH FIFTY HONG KONG. THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA Promises to pay the Bearer on demand at its Office here FIFTY DOLLARS or the equivalent, in the Currency of the Island. Value received. By order of the Directors. Entd. ACCOUNT MANAGER |
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| Comments |
The Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China received its royal charter in 1853, making this 1858 note among the earliest issues from a bank that was still establishing its branch network across the treaty ports of China and the Straits Settlements. Hong Kong was the almost certain place of payment for dollar-denominated issues of this size — the bank's Calcutta and Bombay offices operated in rupees.
Surviving examples from this 1858 series are exceptionally rare. The bank's early Hong Kong records were poorly preserved, and notes of this denomination that actually circulated through the trade finance system of the 1850s faced hard use in a humid, commercially aggressive port environment. The P#S112 designation itself reflects how little documentation exists — catalogue entries for the series remain incomplete.
The bank was later absorbed into the Mercantile Bank of India in 1893.