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)

This example is fully issued, hand-numbered, hand-signed, and subsequently stamped CANCELLED-direct evidence that it circulated in real commercial traffic before the bank redeemed it. Very few 1830s Mauritius notes of any denomination survive in issued and cancelled form. High denominations such as Twenty Dollars were primarily used by exporters, customs brokers, and merchants conducting large-volume trade in sugar, textiles, shipping freight, or bonded storage. These notes typically had short lifespans and were systematically destroyed upon redemption. 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)

This 1842 note represents the second evolutionary stage in the island’s early paper-money system. After the Mauritius Commercial Bank was founded in 1838, the island faced acute shortages of hard coin, forcing banks to issue promissory paper redeemable in sterling. The initial 1839 notes displayed a single-currency format with only textual sterling equivalence; by 1841–1842, the bank introduced dual-face printing with an engraved red sterling panel to simplify conversion between local dollars and British pounds. 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)

The connected format provides information that an individual remainder cannot preserve. The two printed frames remain in their original vertical alignment, separated by the blank horizontal gutter left between adjoining impressions. Their corresponding corner counters, heraldic panels, portrait panels and central designs can be compared directly from one sheet position to the next. The surviving outer paper also extends beyond the printed frames on both sides and below the lower impression, while the broad unprinted area above the upper note preserves a substantial portion of the original sheet margin. 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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