Innehållsförteckning för February 2025 från Banknote Reporter

Robert Calderman recently snagged a rare “Series of 1902” $5 from the First National Bank of Van Nuys, California. He recognized that it had a leap year plate date of February 29, 1912, and wrote it up in his popular “Cherry Picker’s Corner” column in the November-December 2024 issue of Paper Money. In due course, he contacted me asking if it was possible to get a listing of other banks that had leap-year plate dates. He figured that since leap years only come along every four years, this rather special day might be scarce on large size nationals. 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…

I started collecting $5 notes when I lived in Wausau, Wisconsin. I decided to collect the $5 notes from Wisconsin because that denomination was in the ninth district. Due to its sparse population in the western part of the country, it is a large district. The ninth district had fewer notes than its large neighbor in the south, Chicago. The Wisconsin portion of the ninth district occupies the northwest corner of the state and had several notes that were quite scarce. This made it a nice challenge to collect, as opposed to the more common examples of larger numbers than the Wisconsin examples. The scarcity of some of the notes was quite a challenge. It started with the 1928 small size note, the "Star." The “Star” was quite scarce, as…

Bob Liddell is the thrilled new owner of this Wampum, Pennsylvania, note. It first appeared on eBay and is the only reported specimen from this 14,000-charter bank. Any discovery note from a 14,000 charter is very welcome news because those last charters are avidly collected. Bob said he never expected to see a note from this bank because those from Wampum are rare. Only three notes are recorded in the National Currency Foundation census from First National Bank of Wampum, charter 6664, all being 1929 type 1s. The First National Bank in Wampum is the reorganized successor to charter 6664, which ran into trouble during the Great Depression and was placed into a conservatorship on April 3, 1933. The new bank was organized under different management on April 16, 1933,…

XINNIAN HAO! CHUC MUNG NAM MOI! SAEHAE BOK MANI BADEUSEYO! HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! The start of the new Chinese calendar, often referred to as Lunar New Year, begins on January 29 and ends on February 8. The annual holiday is most popularly celebrated throughout East and South Asia, which includes China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. It is also a popular holiday in countries with large East and South Asian diasporas, such as Australia, Canada, the Philippines, the U.K., and the United States. No matter where they are, those ushering in the new year will celebrate by lighting lanterns and firecrackers, spending time with loved ones, and eating delicious foods like dumplings, longevity noodles, and sweet rice balls. Celebrants will also be honoring this over 3,500-year-old holiday…

Among the rare selection of Chinese bank notes for sale at the December 2024 “Hong Kong (SAR) Collectors Choice Online Auction” held by Stack’s Bowers Galleries was a note that was one of the rarest of them all: a Hong Kong Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China 1929–1930 HK$100 specimen. "Without doubt this is one of the holy grail notes in the whole Hong Kong bank note series," read the catalog description. This extremely coveted note graded a PMG 50 About Uncirculated, was sold during session A of the auction. The winning bid was within its estimate of $45,000– $70,000 at $50,400. A distinctive-looking note, it is sans serial numbers and colored in blue and black. The face of the note features a profile of the goddess Minerva from…

FEBRUARY 2025 U.S. Paper Money Price Guide There have been some recent misleading headlines that suggest that banks are about to refuse the dollar or the $100 bill. When you research further into the accompanying stories, you will understand that the federal government has issued a directive through which damaged notes can be more quickly withdrawn from circulation. Under this directive, banks might accept such notes, but they will no longer re-circulate them. Likewise, more retailers now than in the past are refusing damaged notes, and some ATMs are being reprogrammed to stop processing them. Concurrently, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the Federal Reserve are working jointly with the Advanced Counterfeit Deterrence Steering Committee and the United States Secret Service to add additional security features while improving identification…

While the Republic of Cuba was inaugurated in May 1902, its first central bank, the “Banco Nacional de Cuba” or National Bank of Cuba, was only created at the end of 1948. The institution did not start operations until April 27, 1950, when its first bank notes entered circulation. The year 1949 was nonetheless engraved on their obverses. The last bank notes were issued by the National Bank of Cuba in 1995, which, two years later, was reorganized into the Central Bank of Cuba. Almost half a century earlier, another National Bank of Cuba had opened its doors in Havana. It was inaugurated on July 18, 1901, following the reorganization of the North American Trust Company branch, established in the city in 1899. Despite its name, this National Bank was…

Bank note collectors love to score a good deal no matter how deep their pockets may be. It is even better when their note is as rare as it is affordable. Such was the case at the December 30, 2024, “U.S., Chinese & Worldwide Banknotes, Scripophily, U.S. Colonial Fiscal Documents and Historic Ephemera and Security Printing Ephemera” auction held by Archives International Auctions. During this live, timed auction, participants bid on hundreds of bank notes, scripophily, and related ephemera that were set with low openings and no reserves. A highlight of this varied collection is the proof of a Cuban railroad stock/bond train vignette from 1900 to 1930 by the American Bank Note Corporation. Sold only for $25, it features a striking blue and black ink image of an encircled…

Flint Hill, Virginia, hosted the First National Bank. It was organized on April 13, 1920, and chartered that same year on July 30. The bank was organized under the Gold Standard Act of March 14, 1900, which permitted banks in towns of less than 3,000 to be capitalized at half the previously required minimum capital of $50,000. The Flint Hill bankers capitalized at $40,000, allowing them to circulate $10,000 worth of “Series of 1902” blue seal plain backs. This smacks of rarity, and accordingly, they had a very modest issue of $10 and $20 large size notes, of which two $10s are reported in the National Currency Foundation census. The bankers raised their capital to $100,000 in 1933, allowing them a circulation thereafter of $25,000. Only four “Series of 1929”…

Shown is a 3rd issue 3¢ fractional (Fr. 1226) currently residing in the East Liberty Presbyterian Church library in Pittsburgh. It is stamped with the name "Georgina Negley" twice on the note. Old notes with inscriptions—also known as manuscript notes—are intriguing. By adding a small human element, this run-of-the-mill fractional now tells a rich story. Georgina Negley was a member of the prominent Negley family with roots in Pittsburgh, dating back to the 18th century. Her contributions to the Pittsburgh community, both in her religious writing and educational pursuits, were notable. Georgina’s name is stamped as a cross: one horizontally above Washington’s portrait and a second time vertically across Washington’s portrait. GEORGE NEGLEY Her father, George Negley, was a prominent member of Pittsburgh society, an attorney, and a successful businessman.…

Vintage and error bank notes took the stage at the Hong Kong location of the London-based Spink Auction. The January 12, 2025, event showcased finds once owned by a numismatic collector named Mr. Lai Po Hung, who, as evidenced by this auction, had built what Spink refers to as, "a fascinating mix" of bank notes. A standout of Po Hung’s collection is a 1912 HK$25 note, PMG 15 choice fine, from the Mercantile Bank of India. The note features an outdoor scene with a blue border on the front and a profile of Mercury with a winged helmet on the back. According to Spink, the note has "captivated the minds of collectors" as it is considered a highly important note for Hong Kong history. The note reflects Hong Kong’s colonialera…