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50 Pounds
| Issuer | Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London & China, Colombo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1864-1869 |
| Type | Pattern or trial banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CEYLON BRANCH. INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA COLOMBO FIFTY POUNDS By order of the Court of Directors SPECIMEN Rupees Five Hundred Five Hundred Rupees ENT'D ACCOUNT MANAGER |
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| Reverse lettering | 50 50 |
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| Comments |
The Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China was one of the exchange banks operating under Royal Charter, competing directly with the Oriental Bank and the Agra & Masterman's Bank for trade finance across the Indo-Pacific corridor. Its Colombo branch served the Ceylon export economy — primarily coffee at this point, before the 1869 leaf rust devastation that would later collapse the plantation industry and force a shift to tea.
A 50 Pound denomination at this branch speaks to wholesale mercantile use rather than retail circulation. Ordinary wage earners never handled notes at this level; these moved between merchants, agency houses, and estate owners settling large consignments.
The bank was absorbed into the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in 1892 following decades of consolidation among the Eastern exchange banks.