Well, I guess I have been on a little bit of a shopping spree for paper money lately, but before I brought my little spree to an end, I knew I had to end it with a Florida note. There is no way as a Floridian I can simply walk away and go another two or three months without purchasing any paper money, unless I have a Florida note. Florida had their own paper currency issued in 1863 due to coin shortage, and their notes are all elaborate and beautiful.....the one side that has anything anyway. This one is no different with the train vignette and all the other beautiful vignettes. And it's signed by Governor Milton, who upon hearing that the Union won the war and slavery was gone, cried and then went off to blow his brains out. Anyway, I'm happy to take a break from acquisitions for a few weeks now that I got my Florida note, which I really wanted to close this spree with. Maybe next year I'll hunt down the equally stunning Florida $1 and $3 notes. Please feel free to post any Florida related notes from any Florida private banks, railroads, etc., or even the State of Florida.
This is my one Florida note. I got it for the charming alligator at the left. Most all of these notes are cut-canceled, with similar small pieces missing, so this is a pretty nice one of this type.
The Bank of Florida in Tallahassee was the first chartered bank in the state of Florida. It was chartered in 1828 with $500,000 in assets, and authorized to issue up to $40,000 in paper notes above the amount it had in received deposits. Unfortunately the bank collapsed in 1837 with the panic caused by Jackson's shuttering of the National Bank. However, in 1843 the bank was revived. That's the period where your note was issued, but was short lived and finally collapsed for the last time in 1845. I like your note. It's a nice piece of Florida's banking history from a very important bank.
