Catalog
6 Shillings Silver Bank
| Issuer | The Silver Bank, Malahide |
|---|---|
| Year | 1804 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed note on plain paper in black ink, with an ornate calligraphic heading reading 'The Silver Bank' at top centre, flanked by the numeral '6' within a dotted oval frame. To the left, an engraved oval vignette within a wreath border bears the bank's monogram. The denomination panel 'SIX SHILLINGS' is set within a dotted rectangular border at lower left, with the promise-to-pay text and place of issue inscribed in copperplate script across the body of the note, dated at Malahide 14th June 1804 and signed for Richard Mogan Talbot and Edward Glascock. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain unprinted paper reverse bearing multiple handwritten endorsements in ink applied during circulation, and an embossed or blind-stamped circular seal visible at the upper left area. The surface shows evidence of heavy folding consistent with circulation use. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Silver Bank at Malahide was one of dozens of small Irish country banks operating in the early nineteenth century under virtually no regulatory framework — the Irish banking system before the 1824 reforms was notoriously fragile, and provincial issuers like this one frequently collapsed within a generation of opening. A 6 shilling denomination is itself unusual; fractional shilling notes of this type were a pragmatic response to chronic coin shortages in rural Ireland, where silver and copper currency rarely circulated in sufficient quantity.
Richard Mogan Talbot's family connection to the Malahide estate adds a layer of local politics to what might otherwise seem a purely commercial instrument.