Description and research notes
Large‑size National Currency from a single‑digit charter. The First National Bank of Youngstown carried Charter 3, issued at the very start of the National Banking era. Low charter numbers stayed with an institution across redesigns, so CH 3 on a 1902 large‑size note directly links back to the earliest adopters of the 1863 system.
Format: Series of 1902 Blue Seal Plain Back, $5. Portrait of President Benjamin Harrison at left, blue Treasury seal and blue Treasury serial Z929031D, with black bank serial 175660 at lower left. Engraved local officers sign along the bottom; the date line reads Apr 6, 1909. Federal signatures are Register of the Treasury William T. Vernon and Treasurer of the United States Charles H. Treat, the pair associated with Friedberg 600. The right margin shows the blue charter numeral 3, affirming the low‑charter status.
Why “Plain Back”: in 1908 the BEP dropped the back date panel used on earlier Blue Seals, creating the Plain Back subtype while retaining the ornate front. This issue represents the final large‑size style before small‑size Nationals debuted in 1929.
Collecting note: PMG 15 Choice Fine. Circulated but complete, with strong ink in the title cartouche and fully legible officer and federal signatures. Large‑size notes from single‑digit charters are not easy in any grade; this piece is an ideal companion to your 1929 Type 1 CH 3 and a natural foil to Charter 1 Philadelphia in a low‑charter run.