Bank Notes

National Bank Notes make up the most plentiful and extensive series in the history of American paper currency. These notes were issued from 1863 through 1929, and were produced by literally thousands of individual banks through the United States and its territories.

The bank note series is so extensive that almost no collector could ever even hope to own a truly “complete” collection. Today, the most popular and practical way to collect these notes is to attain one note from each variety, issued by a wide-array of different banks. This will give you a collection with many, many different notes, with different denominations, different designs, artwork, portraits… and with the names and locations of many different historic banks.

You could also choose to collect only notes from one specific region, state, city, or even one specific bank. Although, the more specific you become in your search, the more effort it will take, and the more money it will undoubtedly cost.

National Bank Notes came into being by passage of the National Banking Act of 1863, which was later expanded by the Act of June 3, 1864.

These National Bank Notes, although issued by individual banks, are nevertheless conventional United States paper money, meaning they were fully-negotiable, and were printed under the same conditions as regular U.S. Treasury issues by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing; the same source as all of today’s U.S.-issue paper currency.

The primary designs of each issue of National Bank Notes are the same for all banks. The only differences are in the name of the issuing bank, the bank’s charter number (which appears on all bank notes issued after 1875), the bank officers’ signatures, and the coat of arms for the state in which the bank was located.

The Bank Note Series of 1902 remains among the most popular with collectors today. These notes have classic and detailed portraits of American heroes such as William McKinley and Benjamin Harrison, and feature incredibly intricate designs on the reverse-sides of the notes, depicting many classic allegorical figures, and the $ 5 Harrison notes actually features the Landing of the Pilgrims.

The final issue of National Bank Notes was in 1929, with the Unites States first-ever “small-size” currency notes; notes that remain our standard size even today.