Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland • 1834–1840

[DOC]

Here is an example of a Series A (First issue) Agricultural Bank of Ireland £1 proof note, Castlebar branch, dated 1st December 1835. It was sold at Spink World Banknote Auction (24100) in March 2024. This is the first example of this type seen to date for Castlebar branch.

[callahiljo]

A splendid Batho & Bingley creation! Proofs of this series are very scarce but issued notes even more so!

Attached is one of the only two I have recorded, from Limerick. The only other recorded is from Kilkenny, both dated 1835. Note that this one has hand written serials while the other has printed ones.

Any other issued ones known?

[DOC]

Issued examples are extremely rare and I only know of the two examples that you mention. The British Museum appears to have examples of First Issue notes, but I suspect that they are in proof rather than issued form.

[Mac]

The Limerick note was in Noonan's (as dnw), 2 Oct 2008, Lot 38.
The Kilkenny note is in the Central Bank archive, if I recall correctly.

[DOC]

I just noticed that the Castlebar £1 differs slightly in design from the First Issue £1 notes of the Limerick and Kilkenny branches. The denomination panel, top right, is in numeral form on the Caslebar note but in word form ‘ONE’ in the latter two cases. Hence, a new variant for the £1 First Issue notes.

[Mac]

Hence, a new variant for the £1 First Issue notes.

Interesting!
The Castlebar design follows that of the Cork 30 Shilling proof posted earlier in the thread. Another 30 Shilling note pictured of a later design also has the denomination in numerals on the top right, which suggests to me that the Castlebar note is a later design.

[callahiljo]

Taking all the recorded sightings of issued and proof notes of this bank together, the list of branches seen is now as follows:
Carrick-on-Suir, Castlebar, Cork, Enniscorthy, Galway, Kanturk, Kilkenny, Limerick, Londonderry, Nenagh, Parsonstown, Roscrea, Sligo, Thomastown, Tralee and Waterford. That's 16 out of a possible 45, so far.

Most issued survivors are £1 notes although at least eight 30 shillings notes have been recorded, a single £3 note and two £5 notes, plus of course the fragment of a £10 note illustrated earlier in this thread.

[DOC]

No examples of Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland post bills have emerged to date but it is likely that the bank issued them. Here is an article from October 1834 indicating that the bank has arranged for payment of their notes and post bills at Cities and trading towns, across Ireland, England and Scotland.

[callahiljo]

In this context here is a proof bill of exchange of the Agricultural Bank drawn on a London private bank. The engraving is a fine one by Lizars and the vignette is one that appears on the second type of the bank's notes that were also Lizars productions.

[DOC]

Interesting to see a bill of exchange with a vignette similar to that used on some of the bank’s notes.

I found a notice dated July 15th 1835 in the Carlow Sentinel newspaper which provides more details on the network used by the Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland. It indicates that their notes are exchanged in Dublin at Messrs. R. Guiness & Co., and received in payments at branches of The Northern and Central Bank of England and at branches of The Commercial Bank of Scotland.

[callahiljo]

I was in the British Museum recently and took a look at the Agricultural & Commercial notes they have there. Both varieties of the first type of the £1 note are there - the Sligo proof has the same £1 symbol as the Castlebar one (and same value panel lower left) while their Limerick proof is the same design as the issued one illustrated in PMI.

There are also two varieties of the £3 note, both with no branch name, one the same as the one illustrated in PMI but the other with a larger £3 symbol top left and a value panel with the word Three in white with a black border, rather than in black with a grey border.

Their 30/- notes are proofs of the Cork, Galway and Londonderry branches, all with the same borders and vignettes as the first £1 type.

While researching I have found very few of these early types in any other museum or archive. There must be more out there somewhere!

[DOC]

Some nice finds there, a worthwhile trip to the Museum !
Interesting to hear about another £3 design variant.

[DOC]

This Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland £20 proof note dating from the mid-1830’s was sold recently at Spink’s World Banknote Auction (August) along with other interesting proof notes of the bank. There is room for the addition by hand of the branch and date and this design is similar to a previously observed £3 note. This is highest denomination seen to date for this bank.

[DOC]

This £5 proof note of the Agricultural and Commercial Bank from the mid-1830’s without a branch name was also sold at Spink’s World Banknote Auction (August). The design is similar to the £3 and £20 posted previously.

[Mac]

We are getting a full series emerging here!

[callahiljo]

In the same Spink sale there was also another first - the first Agricultural & Commercial note prepared for Belfast branch.

The full list of branches where a note has survived, in either proof or issued form, is now as follows:

Belfast, Carrick-on-Suir, Castlebar, Cork, Enniscorthy, Galway, Kanturk, Kilkenny, Limerick, Londonderry, Nenagh, Parsonstown, Roscrea, Sligo, Thomastown, Tralee and Waterford. That's now 17 out of a possible 45.

A few years ago I wrote an article on the bank for the Spink Insider magazine. The history hasn't changed but the last few Spink auctions have revealed a number of previously unrecorded types, denominations and branch issues.

One suspects we have a way to go before we have a full picture of all the note issues!

[DOC]

Yes, a very interesting group of proof notes at that Spink sale and nice to see a 35 Shillings note of the First issue with framed design. Two 30 Shillings notes of this design from the Galway and Limerick branches were also sold at this auction. Let’s hope that there are more interesting items to come.

[DOC]

This 30 Shillings proof note of the Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland is up for sale at Noonans in October. There is no branch name specified. Issued examples are known with the branch name, date and serial number overprinted.