Date: 1820 Description: Bank of Ireland, colour rial for £1, c.1820, printed using process patented in 1820 by Sir William Congreve, backed on card, very fine and rare Country: Ireland Category: Early Irish Banknotes Bank of Ireland Sixth Issue (1815-1825) One Pound Further Reading: Bank of Ireland (A Brief History & Checklist of…
Withdrawal from Circulation: According to Central Bank of Ireland records, all £20, £50 and £100 ‘ploughman’ notes were successfully withdrawn from circulation, i.e. there are no ‘circulating’ examples left for collectors to collect. That said, the remaining £1, £5 and £10 ‘ploughman’ notes aren’t exactly common nowadays either – as per table below: Estimated Number…
The Clonmel Bank Watson’s Bank was located on Johnston Street, in Clonmel and was founded by Solomon Watson in 1800, along with two of his brothers (John Watson and William Watson) as partners. The Watson’s were a well known Quaker family in Clonmel and their bank went through 3 partnership changes before ceasing operation in…
Introduction: The history of mining at Ross Island in Killarney, Co Kerry, can be traced back to the Bronze Age, where several ancient metal finds from Killarney point to a significant Early Bronze Age settlement in the area. The Bronze Age Workings: The Bronze Age work camp at Ross Island provides an insight into daily…
The Clonmell Bank Riall’s Bank in Clonmel was one of the best run banks of its time. Founded in 1715 as The Clonmell Bank by Phineas Riall and managed by him until 1724, the bank was known as Bagwell & Co between 1724 and 1754. In 1754, William Riall became senior partner and he traded…
Introduction: James Swift registered his bank in Dublin in 1721 but he was operating in Dublin beforehand, probably as a Goldsmith notory or banker of some description – as can be seen by this ‘sight note’ from Sir Francis Child (a London Goldsmith and banker). Sight note, 14 May 1713, ‘At three days sight pay…
Date: c.1804 Few people had silver or gold coins, and those who did, hoarded them and did not use them unless they really had to. Most of the smaller change in circulation was unofficial, illegal tokens. In short, there was a local currency crisis. The solution was small notes (an IOU) like the one below…
Date: 1804 Many people scoff at the thought of towns being so bereft of coinage for small change that they had to issue notes for very small amounts in Weimar Germany, Austria and France after the first world war, but a similar situation existed throughout Ireland in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Few people…
Introduction: The short-lived Gibbons & Williams Bank issued some of the most attractive banknotes of the period – being printed on both sides and featuring many beautiful vignettes of Dublin and agricultural themes. As such, they are highly sought after by collectors. Their one pound, thirty shilling and three pound notes were payable in Dublin…
Gibbons & Williams Bank: Gibbons & Williams was one of the last private banks to be founded in Ireland. Founded in 1833, it spectacularly collapsed in 1835 when the senior partner, Hutchins Thomas Williams, was found to have been embezzling client funds. James Gibbons had parted company with him in 1834 and wasn’t involved in…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 