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5 Dollars
| Issuer | Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London & China |
|---|---|
| Year | 1884-1887 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Yes |
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| Obverse description | Black and blue intaglio print on plain paper, with a decorative border enclosing the full design. The royal coat of arms is at upper centre beneath the arc inscription "INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER", flanked by denomination numerals "5" in oval vignettes at upper left and right. Chinese and Jawi script characters appear along the top and bottom borders. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 5 DOLLARS INCORPORATED BY ROYAL CHARTER Penang 2nd Dec. 1887 THE CHARTERED MERCANTILE BANK OF INDIA, LONDON & CHINA Promise to pay the Bearer on Demand at its Branch in PENANG in Local Currency, the sum of FIVE DOLLARS Value received. By order of the Court of Directors |
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| Comments |
The Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London and China was one of the British exchange banks operating under Royal Charter across the treaty port network, competing directly with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the Oriental Bank Corporation for trade finance business. By the mid-1880s the bank was already in a weakened position — it would be absorbed by the Mercantile Bank of India in 1893 after years of shrinking profitability in the Eastern markets.
Perkins, Bacon & Petch had been engraving security printing for colonial and quasi-governmental issuers since the early nineteenth century, and their work for the Eastern exchange banks typically involved plates designed for multi-market adaptability. The 1884–1887 date range suggests this was among the final issues before the bank's consolidation pressure intensified.