Early 19th Century Lettre d’Indication – Sir Samuel Scott & Co., London
Rare Lettre d’Indication issued by the prominent British private banking firm Sir Samuel Scott, Bart. & Co. of London, regarding the use of circular bills of exchange—a key instrument for international travel and commerce during the early 1800s.
🖋 This letter served as official instruction for cashing bearer bills while traveling, and includes a full printed list of correspondent banks and agents across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa—from Amsterdam, Alexandria, and Aleppo to Berlin, Beirut, and Bordeaux.
📜 Highlights:
Issued by Sir Samuel Scott & Co., one of London’s elite private banks
Bilingual document (French & English) used for international trust and clarity
Provides an extraordinary snapshot of early global banking infrastructure
Over 20 cities listed with their local financial correspondents
Minor age-toning and a few small edge creases, minor tears or damage to the top-right corner
Light foxing spots and faint watermark visible on quality laid paper
📌 A remarkable survivor of early international finance, this document is both a historical artifact and a beautiful example of pre-modern global banking logistics
📍 A highly collectible document reflecting pre-telegraph era global finance, perfect for collectors of early banking ephemera, letters of credit, travel finance, or British-French commercial history.
