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500 Dollars Mercantile Bank of India
| Issuer | Mercantile Bank of India Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Reverse description | A large central vignette occupies the left portion of the note, presenting an elaborate Chinese ceremonial gateway (pailou) with multiple arched spans and ornate tiered rooflines, rendered in fine line engraving in blue-green tones. A scalloped oval blank panel occupies the right side, flanked by guilloche scrollwork and corner numerals '500'. The bank title 'THE MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA LIMITED' appears at the top, with 'FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS' and Chinese characters 伍佰員 along the lower margin. |
| Reverse lettering | The Mercantile Bank of India Limited Five Hundred Dollars 伍佰員 |
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| Comments |
The Mercantile Bank of India Limited was originally chartered in 1853 as the Mercantile Bank of India, London and China — a colonial exchange bank funded by British capital and built around the China trade. By 1948, that world was collapsing. Indian independence had arrived the previous year, Hong Kong was absorbing a flood of refugees ahead of the Communist victory on the mainland, and the bank's traditional trade finance corridors were being redrawn overnight.
A $500 denomination in this series points squarely at commercial and interbank use — not retail circulation. The Mercantile Bank was absorbed by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1959.