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20 Pounds National Bank
| Issuer | The National Bank Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890-1900 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1826-1971) |
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| Obverse description | Printed in black on white paper with ornate guilloche borders running the full perimeter. At upper centre, a fine intaglio vignette of Hibernia seated with a harp and a wolfhound, inscribed "ERIN GO BRAGH" below. The Irish Coat-of-Arms with two supporters appears at upper left, while a bold oval cartouche bearing "£20" occupies the upper right. The central text area carries the promise-to-pay inscription in copperplate script, dated 20th October 1896, above a panel listing all branch towns of the bank in small letterpress type, concluding with the authorisation line "For the Directors and Company". |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse entirely unprinted, showing plain white paper stock with no vignettes, text, or ornamental elements, consistent with Irish private bank note production of the period. |
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| Comments |
The National Bank Limited was incorporated in Edinburgh in 1825 and operated an extensive branch network across Scotland. By the 1890s it was one of the smaller Scottish chartered banks still printing its own notes, and the £20 denomination was very much a commercial instrument — used in interbank settlements and wholesale trade rather than passing through ordinary hands.
Scottish banknote law never required notes to be legal tender in England, yet they circulated freely by custom. The £20 value ensured this note rarely left merchant or banking premises, which accounts for the relative rarity of heavily circulated survivors.