By Nilaish, MBA B ank of Bengal was founded in 1809 by the Charter of Governor General in Council Lord Gilbert Minto. Bank of Bengal (see below) issued currency notes in Bengal Presidency since 1810 but no currency note prior to 1812 is survived. It is known that Bank of Bengal issued three broad categorical series; Uniface, Commerce and Britannia (Razack et al. 2012). Bank of Bengal notes were also cut into two halves and were sent for encashment to the bank partly to safeguard its theft or loot. There are a few examples which were not cut and survived till today. Bank of Bengal circa 1900 There is no record or note known till today that half currency notes prior to 1850-58 were used for encashment. However, it is known that half notes were paid to owners through Indemnity Bond (Razack et al. 2012): “ Deed of Indemnity between Bank of Bengal and owner of half the note, the other half being mutilated or lost in transit. The owner indemnifying the ban...
Nilaish Banknotes World Blog is a collection of facts on rare world and Indian banknotes.