Any tips for a newbie to currency collecting on finding specific banks from the National Bank Note series? I live in the small town of Ottawa, Illinois, and I know that there are two banks in town that issued large- and small-size notes. I'm having a hard time finding any for purchase. In fact, I've never even seen a large-size note from Ottawa. Any advice on finding notes for sale? (Google and Ebay have failed me). Also, anybody out there own some specimins they'd like to share on the thread?
You just missed one two months ago on eBay, a 1902 $5 DB for just under $200... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200746337111
First I would check HA.com (Heritage auctions), they don't have anything currently but you can create a watch list and it will email you anytime something by that name comes up. You can also see how often they have been sold in the past by looking at the archive. Here are the latest Earlier this year for about $3,700 http://currency.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=3516&lotNo=17932 back in 2009 for about $250 http://currency.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=39092&lotNo=32255 There are other currency websites that sell a lot of national bank notes (donckelly.com to name one), here is a thread that might get you started. It is a contest I started when I was looking for the same type of thing you were, many of the sites were good. http://www.cointalk.com/t136103/ Good luck! (and let me know if you find anything for Chico Ca)
Looking for Nationals from a specific place can be pretty frustrating - it took me five years to find one from the place I collect from - and then within a year and a half I have accumulated 7 notes, three LC and four SC. All are from a one bank town and a bank that continues in business with a whopping one branch - the same place since the bank was opened in 1889.
What bank is that? We might as well all share the banks we collect incase someone sees one for sale. I even have a few extras I would sell if someone wanted those banks.
A Midwestern bank. BTW at sometime I want to collect Nats from San Joaquin county. They are in demand and pricey, especially that large central valley town that is going bankrupt.
I hear you -- Ottawa had two banks that had associated currency. One folded during the Great Depression. The other is still in operation with two "branches"... the main, old 1800s bank downtown and a drive up bank they built in the '80s. Thanks for all the replies!
