Banknote vignette proofs

If you skip back to post #3 on this thread you can read up on the Excelsior Bank Note Co. and view a few vignette samples. I recently discovered one of those, the owl, as a corner ornament on a stock certificate of the Bellaire, Zanesville and Cincinnati Railway Company. However, this certificate was engraved by the Franklin Bank Note Co., not Excelsior. Both companies operated in NYC around the same time (1870s) and FBNCo eventually was absorbed by American Bank Note. The plate ended up there, because much later the same owl appears on Commemorative Panel CP101, produced by ABNCo in 1978 for the Postal Service. But how it made its way from Excelsior to Franklin is a mystery.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I finally picked up a nice usage of another of these proof vignettes -- and solved a mystery. The "dynamo ladies" appear on a stock certificate of the Philadelphia & Garrettford Street Railway. I was never sure which bank note company produced this vignette; the imprint on the stock shows it was the Franklin-Lee Bank Note Co, which was later absorbed by American Bank Note. The certificate was a good buy, imho -- less than $10!

 

I've been hunting for a nice example of this particular stock certificate for some time, as a usage of one of the nicer vignettes in my proof collection. I found one at a good price last week.

"The Ferry" was originally engraved for National Bank Note Co. By the time it appeared on this stock for the West Shore and Ontario Terminal Co. (some time in the 1880s) National had merged with American Bank Note, which produced the certificate.

 

Spectacular! Great sleuthing as usual.

 

This one arrived in today's mail. Very intriguing little vignette of a log cabin and someone chopping a tree nearby -- I'm presuming Lincoln. This really is a small proof; I scanned a postage stamp next to it to give a sense of scale. There's no indication of who printed this, but it looks very much like a banknote engraving. Does anyone recognize this from an obsolete note, check or some other security?

 

I got two vignette proofs in today's mail that make me very happy. One is of "Justice" and I already have a usage among my taxpaid revenues. She appears on an 1868 distilled spirits "Stock on Hand" stamp (not quite sure how this tax worked). Interestingly the tax stamps says "Engraved and Printed at the Treasury Department" (pre-BEP) but I've also seen her on an 1860s Treasury bond that was produced by Continental Bank Note. My guess is that Continental was eventually required to turn the plates over to the Treasury.

The other one has an image that just makes me smile. This one is entitled "Galatea" (though "Nereids" would seem more appropriate for those who know their Greek mythology). The cherubs on this are fantastic! National Bank Note engraved this and I'm sure I've seen it somewhere, but can't quite place it. If anyone can pin it down, let me know.

I have one more coming that should be really special if I can search out a little more information...

 

I received another nice vignette proof a couple weeks back that I was hesitant to post without a little research. This one is of a seated woman, which I believe is the work of engraver Charles Burt. In a comprehensive catalog of his engravings, it matches the description of a piece he did for the Canadian Bank Note Co. entitled "Art and Science."

The proof also has what appears to be a signature in the lower right of "Chas Burt." I was hopeful this was a proof signed by the engraver himself! After a lot of fruitless online searching, I discovered the NY Public Library had a signed letter from Burt in its archives. They were kind enough to send me a scan (sorry, I don't have permission to post it here) ... and his autograph looks nothing like what's on the engraving. :-(

Most likely this was a notation by fellow engraver GFC Smillie -- other proofs listed on the Heritage site have this notation. But it certainly was an educational treasure hunt and now I have a definitive Charles Burt signature for future comparison.

 

Bravo! Find that and knowing you got one, must feel so rewarding. It's a beautifully composed vignette, too.

Speaking of Canadian Bank Note Co. They've had a page for collectors up for years offering some nice examples of engraved vignettes, in case anyone out there is interested in them. LINK

@gsalexan By any chance have you tried to contact CBNCo about your piece?

 

Hadn't thought about approaching CBNCo, but I might. There was no info in the catalog about what they used it for. That was another interesting discovery from the search -- the year after Charles died in 1892, his daughter compiled and published a record of all the engravings and drawings he ever produced, including many that were used on U.S. currency. That catalog has been digitized and is viewable online:
https://archive.org/details/catalogueoflinee00burt
My vignette is described on page 36. I was surprised at how many of the other proofs in my collection are his work.

 

What an excellent record to have! A fantastic memorial and unintentional reference for the ages. Great find! If only it could have been illustrated too, but what a monumental task it would be.

 

Love this kind of artwork as my father/uncle did this type of printing "back in the day".....

 

Hope it's okay to add this addition to my collection in this thread, though it's not really a proof vignette, technically.

The Woodchopper by Henry Gugler from the Series of 1907 $5 banknote, for example.:











Both are recent 2015 collection addtions. Enjoy!

 

Beautiful pieces, Chris, both the note and the vignette.

 

And here it is! Found on page 46 of "The International Engraver's Line." I was slightly in error: it was for Canada Bank Note -- not Canadian -- which went out of business around 1894. I'll have to keep my eye out for this advertising card.

 

I came across this website not too long ago, it is exactly fitting to this subject. They are very high resolution scans of some of the BEP vignettes. Here is a link if some of you are interested. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gallery/Bureau_of_Engraving_and_Printing_(Portraits_&_Vignettes)

 

Here is an example the detail is absolutely gorgeous!!

 

That is a great site -- thanks for the link! I have a good many of those portraits and several of the vignettes (there's my Justice!). Love the ones that ended up on the backs of early National Bank Notes.

You can also find a lot of the same engravings in this digitized specimen book from 1877.

 

Thank you for the link to the digitized specimen book. I came across the above link while I was searching for high resolution images of early bank notes. Because of the Fair Use rules I can have them blown up to very large sizes for framing. I am absolutely in love with the "Education Series" notes. But then again who doesn't? LOL. You'd be surprised what you can find out there. Here is an example of some of the beauties I've found..


They make amazing wall art!!

 

Just added a great new vignette proof to my collection -- the keyhole version of the Statue of Freedom, which now sits atop the U.S. Capitol dome. However, at the time this vignette was created the dome was yet unfinished and statue wouldn't be hoisted into placed until 1863.

It was engraved by Owen Hanks for American Bank Note Co. and many collectors will recognize it from the 1861 $5 Demand and U.S. Notes. It also appears on a couple of obsolete bank notes and a 10 peso note from Ecuador (PS115). ABNC produced a later version without the black background but this one has more eye appeal, imho.

Thomas Crawford was commissioned to create the Statue of Freedom in 1854 by … Jefferson Davis(!), who was serving as U.S. Secretary of War at the time and also charged with construction and decoration of the new Capitol building. In fact, Davis provided Crawford with the basic description for the statue's design. But on his plaster model Crawford added an element that didn't sit well -- a liberty cap, the symbol of a freed Roman slave. Davis wouldn't stand for this affront to Southern slaveholders and demanded the cap be replaced with a helmet featuring the head and feathers of an eagle. He got his way.

 

Very dynamic on black! I love it. Looks like a good impression and in fairly good condition too. Congrats.