Post Civil War Non-Federally Issued Notes - ie Municipalities, States, Banks, etc.

http://scottishmoney.net/banknotes/usa/usapostbellum.html

Kind of too busy to post all of them here, easier to just create an html page and put up a link. Someday I will find time to re-do the rest of the site.

 

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This is Great presentation, SM! The vignettes are beautiful and the history is fascinating. I recognize that first vignette as one by Stephen Schoff-- you may have seen background on that already. Many thanks for putting this together!

Greg

 

[h=3]Alabama ~ City of Mobile $3 1875[/h]


This note was issued in the postbellum southern city of Mobile Alabama. These notes were first issued as early as the summer of 1865, obviously by a reconstructionist government that was probably pro-Union in sentiment. But the vignette is very memorable for the symbolism of the "Union" with her flag greeting the South, with their swords cast to their feet - an obvious allusion to the just ended conflict that tore the nation apart.



This lovely and fascinating banknote was printed by American Banknote Company of New York. Municipal and state issued banknotes continued in the United States until the last issues in Mississippi in 1896. While effectively they were currency, they were often masked as railroad ticket fares, or special warrants in order to circumvent the prohibition of non-government or National Bank issued currency.



Notice the centre vignette with the now sharecroppers, apparently gathering sugar cane? I love the denomination of the note, the $3, the symbolism of the North and South embracing, but coupled with the other vignettes that are so descriptive of the postbellum Southern dilemmas. This note was one of those that of course skirted the legislation of 1863 that forbid the issuance of banknotes without the obligatory tax payment. Of course this was common in the south right after the cessation of hostilities, but notes after 1870 got pretty scarce.

 

[h=3]Arkansas ~ City of Little Rock $1 1873[/h]


Many states and municipalities in the South of the United States had a long experience with issuing paper money for the benefit of their citizens. Little Rock Arkansas was no exception, issuing notes before and after the Civil War. This note issue from 1873 has a couple of feminine vignettes that are well known with collectors of American Banknote printed currency - these vignettes were stock images that were used from the late 1850's until the early 20th century on some foreign notes. One thing that linked most "evasion" notes from this era is that they often bore a striking resemblance to federally issued currency - no doubt to give some credence to the issue.



This young miss has a fascinating portraiture, with her little rabbit adding to the tenderness of the vignette.



And this young lady with her posies also appeared on many notes in the USA and in foreign lands.

 

[h=3]Connecticut ~ Meriden National Bank $1 1873[/h]


More a post-bellum note than a feminine vignette pursuit, this note is quite fascinating - it was issued by Meriden National Bank Charter # 1382 of Meriden Connecticut. What makes this note particularly fascinating is that at the same time the bank was issuing $1 bills from the first charter series under the auspices of the National Banking Act of 1864! This note issue, especially bearing the name of the national bank, was likely in contravention of that act and it's prohibition against and taxation against private non-national bank issues of currency. At any rate this is now a very rare note with few appearances in public auctions in the last decade, usually when they are found they are remainders or specimens and not issued notes. Meriden National Bank was chartered in 1865 and issued large sized nationals of which only three reported $1 from the original series are known. The bank continued issuing national bank notes through the 1929 small sized issues.



A very heavily engraved portrait of George Washington gives this note a "federal feel". This note was printed by Maverick, Stephen and Co. of No 176 Fulton St. N.Y. There were purportedly $2 and $5 notes printed, but no known examples have been reported of those denominations.



And an early portrait of the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C., notice the horses and buggies.

 

[h=3]Georgia ~ Brunswick And Albany Railroad $1 1871[/h]

Despite legislation passed in 1864 that effectively made all commercial banking establishments give up the right of note issue by 1865 and become National Banks chartered by the Federal Government, the South of the United States - recently re-joined to the Union often evaded such laws. Private banks, municipalities and even railroads got in on the act and issued their own currency. Of course feminine vignettes were near obligatory.





A lovely vignette of the American 4-4-0 with it's ubiquitous tall smokestack - an image of a revolution in transport in the latter half of the 19th century - one that quickened travel and shipping of goods to market that literally changed the country.

BTW - this note has a provenance to RickieB :yes:

 

[h=3]Kansas ~ City of Leavenworth $5 1871[/h]


The city of Leavenworth Kansas was the first chartered city in Kansas in 1854. Kansas had a very contentious history early in it's existence due to the continuing conflict over slavery prior to the Civil War - an episode remembered as "Bloody Kansas" where in fact the events leading to the US Civil War first started seeing actual casualties. After the cessation of the conflict in 1865 Kansas authorities issued currency in payment of debts associated with the conflict. The City of Leavenworth got in on the act also, issuing these lovely notes in 1871. The design is apparently proprietary to this issue being a "Lady in the clouds".



Most of the known notes now available to collectors are unsigned remainders that in all likelihood never actually circulated - unfortunately a bit of research of sold notes during the past decade demonstrates that many of them are heavily worn for some reason.

 

[h=3]Louisiana ~ State of Louisiana $5 1866[/h]


The reconstructionist government in Louisiana issued currency in 1866, redeemed and cancelled notes are scarce for this issue but uncancelled notes from this issue are very rare indeed. These vignettes were used on some pre-war obsoletes.



Curiously for the time and place this note has a vignette of U.S. President Andrew Johnson a southerner, but probably not overly popular in the post-bellum era Louisiana. Notes were also issued in Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida. Often times, especially with the latter two states, redemption became a problem for note holders. South Carolina's 1872 issue was never redeemed by the state, whilst Florida's note issue was only redeemed much later on. Louisiana apparently made good on it's note issue. Later on in the 1870s a series of "baby bonds" were issued which were essentially circulated as a currency but with bond coupons for interest attached.

 

[h=3]Missouri ~ Jefferson City $1 1875[/h]


The vignette on this note is remarkably similar to vignettes used on federally issued banknotes from this era - no surprise - it was done to mimick federally issued currency and give it acceptance.



As state capitals go Jefferson City Missouri is one of the smaller and lesser known state capitals with a current population of 41.000. The location was chosen to be the state capital in 1821 given it's central location for the state and it's access to the Missouri River. The city grew very gradually and was eclipsed by Kansas City, St. Joseph and St. Louis in size. During the American Civil War the city was occupied by Union forces, though most of the populace were sympathetic to the Confederate cause. During the war the Confederate government was in exile, but issued notes with Jefferson City as their location despite the fact that they did not control the city.

 

[h=3]South Carolina ~ South Carolina Railroad Company $10 1873[/h]


The "brown" issues are a different story however - they were actually circulated and are quite scarce today and exist usually only as cancelled and redeemed notes.



The vignettes of the ladies representing "Commerce" is not a proprietary image to the issue and has been used on Latin American notes into the early 20th century.



The vignette of the palmetto tree is a bit more unusual - and was likely intended for this issue. The workers seen in the right vignette also made appearances on some Latin American notes later on.

 

More South Carolinians later, have some imaging to work with.

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these. I don't collect these, so this is a good history lesson.

 

Great to see these with the write-ups, sm, thanks!
Dave

 

Ditto :thumb:

 

:thumb:Good write up!!!
Photo too!!

 

I like the additional Kansas note!