Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i Banknote Reporter

No national bank notes have been reported from the First National Bank of WaKeeney, Kansas. This is no surprise because the bank was an early, short-lived enterprise for Kansas, being chartered on August 18, 1887, and liquidated on June 30. 1893. It was then reorganized as WaKeeney State Bank. During its short life, management maintained a circulation of $11,250, supported during its six years by 1,416 sheets worth of $5 “Series of 1882” brownbacks. These rarity statistics weren’t what caught my attention, though, because such characterize all too many early Kansas banks. The grabber was the spelling of the town name, WaKeeney, with its uppercase “K.” It’s not an Anglicized rendering of a Native American word or name. The site for WaKeeney was selected in 1879 by A.E. Warren and…

Co-author Bob Kvederas reeled in the only reported small size note from the Tottenville National Bank, charter 8334. Tottenville is located on the southern tip of Staten Island in New York City. The bank was organized in 1906, and the bankers maintained a circulation of only $10,000, comprised solely of $10 notes during the note-issuing era; no wonder its size issuances were small and survivors rare. Such neighborhood banks in big cities often had small issuances and comprised the most difficult banks from which to obtain specimens. Not only did Kvederas want to show off his note to me, but he also chided me for omitting the bank from my published listing of New York City banks. What he exposed was the fact that my listing included only New York…

Early national bank notes had wonderful images of notable events in United States history. You have probably seen the faces of these notes, so I will not show those images. Instead, I will describe the backs. This $1 note on the Second National Bank of Detroit carries an image of Pilgrims attempting to land their small boat on Plymouth Rock. This note is one of about six known issues, and it is from the only bank that issued these First Charters in Detroit. So, if you want a Detroit $1 note, you only have one choice. This $2 note on the La Crosse National Bank of Wisconsin has the nickname “Lazy Two,” due to a large numeral two lying on its side on the face. However, the reverse is more…

In this article, we will explore inverted and non-inverted fractional currency with same plate numbers. As an example, shown is a pair of inverted and non-inverted third issue 10¢ fractionals made from a #21 sheet plate. But before we dive in, a little background should be helpful. When the United States Treasury made the sheet plates for second and third issue fractionals, they also engraved a single plate number for accounting purposes—one for the face, one for the back.1 The number was engraved in the body of the plate and not in the selvage. So, when the sheet was cut into individual notes, the plate number would often survive. Not all plate numbers are whole; some were trimmed when the sheet was cut. Hence, there are quite a few notes…

Cody Regennitter, who maintains the National Currency Foundation’s National Bank Note Census, landed this terrific note from Shelby, Ohio. Shelby, with a current population of 9,200, is located in north central Ohio, midway between Cleveland and Columbus. Of course, its claim to fame for national bank note collectors is that it was chartered on January 25, 1872. This happened to be the day they passed out charter 1929, and the bank got it. The bank issued for the entire note-issuing period and that charter number was boldly overprinted on its “Series of 1929” notes, giving them special appeal. The bank had a circulation of $50,000 at the time. There are some two dozen “Series of 1929” notes that have been reported from the bank, so one becomes available from time…

JANUARY 2025 U.S. Paper Money Price Guide Bank note collecting just got an unanticipated accolade from of all places, the Wall Street Journal. The November 4, 2024, issue includes an article titled, “For These Collectors, It’s All About the Cash,” with the subtitle, “Rare bank notes can yield big bucks, if you know what to look for.” While much of the article tells uninitiated readers to pay attention to condition, serial numbers, scarcity, and errors, it is important to note that the article dubs bank note collecting as “an alternative asset class” — a description that has been used for coin collecting in the past—that offers “significant potential value to investors.” In the article, Stack’s Bowers World Currency Auctions Director Aris Maragoudakis estimates annual global hobby sales being in excess…

A very rare 100 rupees note recently found its way to the World Paper Money Signature® auction on December 7, 2024. Held by Heritage Auctions in Hong Kong, this Pick R6 Jhunjhunwalla-Razack 6.13.2.1 PMG Very Fine 30 note earned a winning bid of over $26,000 and was a standout among many rare international selections. The Reserve Bank of India issued the note, which was not considered legal tender in the country. Notes of this kind were printed on blue and, as seen with this note, striking red paper. The design included a special prefix “HA” to signify that it was to be used by Indian Muslims during their Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The notes could be exchanged for riyals, which, upon completion of the Hajj, were then…