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50 Rupees Mauritius Commercial Bank, Unissued
| Issuer | Mauritius Commercial Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a harbour port scene with sailing vessels and a neoclassical building at upper centre, flanked by denomination cartouches reading FIFTY at upper left and right corners. The body of the note carries a manuscript-style intaglio promise text reading "I promise to pay the Bearer on demand FIFTY SILVER RUPEES of the East India Company's Currency coined since the 1st day of September 1835. Value received", with the numeral 50 in an ornate medallion at lower centre and the imprint FOR THE MAURITIUS COMMERCIAL BANKING COMPANY with a Cashier signature line. The lower border bears the legend PAYABLE SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS AT THE BACK HEREOF. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Blank. |
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| Comments |
The Mauritius Commercial Bank was established in 1838 — which makes a dated 1835 issue attributed to it an immediate problem. Pick S136 likely reflects either a misdating in the standard catalog or a pre-incorporation specimen produced in anticipation of the bank's formal licensing. This kind of advance printing was not unheard-of in the British colonial banking world, where London-based printers sometimes produced note stock before a charter was fully confirmed.
Unissued status here is almost certainly original, not accidental. Notes that never entered circulation tend to survive in far better condition than their issued counterparts, but their numismatic interest lies precisely in what stopped them — regulatory delay, charter revision, or a simple change in denomination policy before the series went out.