Collection PL

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Mauritius’s story in paper money starts with private banking. The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), founded in 1838, supplied the island’s first widely recognized banknotes during its early British administration. Between 1839 and 1843 the bank issued a short series engraved in London by Myers Frs. & Co., showing the Port Louis harbor—sailing ships, warehouses, and a neoclassical façade—framing a trade economy linking Africa and Asia. Unusual for the period, the notes were dual-currency: values printed as Dollars on the face and their Pounds Sterling equivalents on the back, a practical bridge from regional silver to British bookkeeping.

Surviving examples fall into two groups. Issued notes are hand-numbered, signed, dated, and often stamped CANCELLED upon redemption—scarce today and usually well-worn. Remainders are unsigned archival stock retained by the bank or printer; these can appear in higher grade and help document design intent and paper. Later, government issues such as the ND (1940) series (Waterlow & Sons) formalized rupee currency for the colony. The selection below illustrates this arc—from private dual-currency banknotes to official state printings—without repeating card-level text. Use filters to pivot by year, type, or denomination.

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Mauritius 1839 Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled

Mauritius 1839 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 20 Dollars / 4 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled Note (Pick S125)

The bilingual denomination structure is historically significant. The dollar currency catered to local valuation habits, while the sterling equivalent ('Four Pounds Sterling') reflected British commercial norms and enabled international settlement through London. Mauritius in the late 1830s was still grappling with the economic restructuring that followed the abolition of slavery (1835–1839), and the Mauritius Commercial Bank played a central stabilizing role by issuing redeemable paper during a period of extreme liquidity stress. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note183920 Dollars / 4 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled20 Dollars4 PoundsColonial CurrencyDual-CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1839Museum GradeR8 Extremely Rare
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Mauritius 1842 Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled

Mauritius 1842 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Issued & Cancelled (Pick S122a)

The Port Louis harbor vignette - one of the earliest engraved Mauritian landscapes - encapsulates the colony's economic identity as a port of transshipment for sugar, textiles, rice, timber, and re-exported Indian goods. The docks, bonded warehouses, and anchored vessels evoke the commercial confidence the bank sought to project in an era when Mauritius was emerging from the post-abolition labor transition and integrating more tightly into imperial trade networks. Read more →

MauritiusIssued & Cancelled Note184210 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingFine–Very Fine (Issued & Cancelled) Issued NoteCancelled10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance19th Century BanknotesRedemption and Cancellation NotesMauritiusPort Louis1842Museum GradeR6 Extremely Rare
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Mauritius 1843 Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder, PMG 50 NET

Mauritius 1843 - Mauritius Commercial Bank 10 Dollars / 2 Pounds Sterling Remainder (Pick S122r)

This note represents the archival stock of the 1840s issue - printed but never signed or circulated. It carries the same engraving and layout as the fully issued 1842 Ten Dollars / Two Pounds Sterling notes, showing the Port Louis harbor with moored vessels, bonded warehouses, and the neoclassical bank building anchoring the composition. The vignette is among the earliest engraved landscapes used on any Mauritian banknote, reflecting the colony’s maritime identity and its economic dependence on shipping and re-export trade. Read more →

MauritiusRemainder184310 Dollars / 2 Pounds SterlingPMG 50 NET (Ink Burn) Remainder10 Dollars2 PoundsDual-CurrencyColonial CurrencyMyers Frs & CoEngraved Security PrintingInk BurnMauritius Commercial BankEarly Mauritius BankingColonial Banking HistoryPrivate Banknote EraPort Louis Harbor VignetteBritish Colonial Finance1840s Currency Reform19th Century BanknotesMauritiusPort Louis1843PMG 50Museum GradeR6 Extremely RareAnnotationsHandwritten Annotations
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Mauritius ND (1940) Government of Mauritius 1 Rupee uncut pair remainder, Pick 26r1 (remainder of Pick 26), PMG 55 EPQ Top Pop with crisp green and rose print and punch cancels

Mauritius 1940 - Government of Mauritius 1 Rupee Uncut Pair Remainder (Pick 26r1)

Each note has been permanently invalidated by two large circular punch cancellations. On both impressions, the left-hand punch passes directly through the coat-of-arms panel, cutting into the heraldic design beside the shield and supporters. The right-hand punch passes through the royal portrait panel, removing part of the King George VI image. The same two-point cancellation arrangement is repeated on the upper and lower impressions, producing four prominent circular cancellations across the complete pair. Their deliberate placement through two of the most important representational elements of the design made the unfinished notes unmistakably unusable as currency while leaving the overall design, denomination and production layout intact. Read more →

MauritiusRemainder Proof19401 Rupee (Uncut Pair)PMG 55 EPQ About Uncirculated (Top Pop) MauritiusGovernment of MauritiusBritish MauritiusMauritius BanknoteMauritius CurrencyMauritius Paper MoneyColonial MauritiusBritish ColonyBritish Colonial CurrencyBritish Colonial BanknoteColonial BanknoteColonial CurrencyColonial Paper Money1 RupeeOne RupeeRupeeRe.11940NDND 1940Pick 26r1Pick 26RemainderRemainder NoteRemainder BanknoteUncut RemainderUncut PairUncut BanknotesUncut NotesUncut SheetUncut Sheet PairConnected PairVertical PairProduction MaterialPrinting MaterialBanknote ProductionSecurity PrintingProduction SheetSheet MarginSheet LayoutOriginal Sheet MarginUnsignedUnnumberedUnsigned RemainderUnnumbered RemainderPunch CancelledPunch CancellationCircular Punch CancelPunch CancelCancelled RemainderFour Punch CancelsGovernment IssueGovernment NoteCommissioners of CurrencyOffice of the Commissioners of CurrencyPort LouisMauritius Coat of ArmsCoat of ArmsMauritius ArmsDodoDodo BanknoteSambar DeerSambar Deer BanknoteHeraldryMauritian HeraldryKing George VIGeorge VIKing George VI BanknoteRoyal PortraitPortrait BanknoteSailing ShipPalm TreesKey and StarStella Clavisque Maris IndiciGreen and RoseGreen BanknoteRose UnderprintGuillocheGuilloche BanknoteSecurity DesignMultilingual BanknoteMultilingual CurrencyLondon PrintingColonial Contract PrintingTop PopPMG Top PopPMG 55 EPQPMG 55About UncirculatedEPQOriginal Paper Quality
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