Description and research notes
Uncut consecutive pair of Series of 1929 Type 2 five-dollar National Bank Notes from The Thomas County National Bank of Colby, Kansas (Charter 13076), accompanied by the original 1944 letter of transmittal from the bank’s president, W. D. Ferguson. Together, they form a uniquely documented provenance set—one of the most personal and historically complete National Bank artifacts known from rural Kansas.
Each note bears the brown Treasury seal, blue charter numbers, and printed facsimile signatures of cashier Charles A. Schuetz and president W. D. Ferguson. Serial numbers A011097 and A011098 confirm consecutive placement on the same sheet before cutting. The pair remains uncut and perfectly aligned, exhibiting fresh ink, sharp embossing, and untouched paper surfaces—proof of careful preservation within the bank’s own files. The reverse displays brilliant green ink and the Lincoln Memorial vignette, consistent with the standardized 1929 design.
The enclosed letter, dated February 24 1944, is printed on official Thomas County National Bank stationery and signed in ink by W. D. Ferguson. Addressed to Franklin Moore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it explains that Ferguson is enclosing 'a couple of our bank’s notes for $5.00 each, which bear my signature,' to express appreciation for assistance received at a wedding. This direct reference to the enclosed notes establishes verified provenance linking these specific examples to the issuing bank’s executive—a form of authenticity documentation almost never encountered with National Currency.
Historically, the Thomas County National Bank (organized 1927, chartered May 12 1927) operated during the final years of the National Banking system. Its 1929 notes circulated locally until the mid-1940s, making Ferguson’s 1944 letter plausible and period-accurate. The combination of an uncut pair and original correspondence represents a complete archival survival—a window into both Depression-era banking and the personal relationships that defined small-town finance.
Sets of this kind are virtually unknown. While individual Colby $5 notes appear occasionally in collections, none are recorded as uncut pairs with verified period letters. The Ferguson correspondence elevates this artifact from numismatic rarity to documentary history, capturing a moment when local banking, personal gratitude, and American currency art intersected on the same page.