Description and research notes
Circulated five-dollar note from The Thomas County National Bank of Colby, Kansas (Charter 13076), Series of 1929 Type 1. This example represents the true working currency of the Great Plains during the Depression years—money that passed through farms, shops, and local hands in northwest Kansas at a time when the nation’s economy was in flux.
The note follows the standard small-size Type 1 national design with Abraham Lincoln’s engraved portrait at center, flanked by bold denomination counters and the brown Treasury seal at right. The blue charter number '13076' appears vertically at both margins, while serial F004065A and red-brown overprint connect it to Colby’s 1929 issue block. The printed facsimile signatures of cashier N. Reimers and president W. D. Ferguson confirm its authenticity and continuity with the bank’s leadership also seen on its earlier 1902 issues and later 1944 correspondence.
Although showing significant circulation wear, with creasing and handling folds typical of long service life, the note retains full design integrity and legible ink. Its condition illustrates what a surviving piece of Depression-era regional currency truly looked like after years in use. As one of the few known small-size survivors from this short-lived charter, this note fills a crucial link between the 1902 large-size period and the uncut 1929 pair retained by President Ferguson himself.
Together with the 1902 $5 Plain Back and the uncut 1929 pair and letter, this circulated example completes the historical picture of The Thomas County National Bank of Colby’s paper currency—showing not just how these notes were printed and preserved, but how they lived, worked, and survived in the community that issued them.