Collection PL

United States 1929 Type 1 - 10 Dollars National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Charter 1 (Fr. 1801-1)

The First National Bank of Philadelphia holds Charter 1, the very first federal national bank charter issued under the National Banking Act of 1863. Granted on June 20, 1863, it became the prototype for a new system that tied local banknotes to United States bonds and standardized design, redemption, and supervision across the country. Charter 1 anchored Philadelphia finance from the Civil War through the Great Depression. ... Read more →

United States 1914 – 50 Dollars Federal Reserve Note – Philadelphia District White | Mellon (Fr.1035)

The Series of 1914 was the inaugural issue of Federal Reserve Notes following the creation of the Federal Reserve System in December 1913. For the first time, the United States possessed a unified national currency directly issued through the newly organized regional Reserve Banks. The Philadelphia District, designated by the letter C and the numeral 3, served as one of the twelve original Reserve Bank branches, linking the new central banking structure to the industrial and commercial heart of the Mid-Atlantic region. ... Read more →

United States 1948 — Republican National Convention Ticket Philadelphia, E.A. Wright Bank Note Co.

Engraved admission ticket for the 1948 Republican National Convention, held June 21–25 at Philadelphia’s Convention Hall. Produced by the E.A. Wright Bank Note Company, a leading Philadelphia security printer, this ticket fuses political spectacle with the visual language of currency. ... Read more →

United States 1830s — Pennsylvania, Philadelphia — Penn Township Savings Institution 10 Cents Proof (Unlisted)

This engraved proof note was prepared for the Penn Township Savings Institution of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the early 1830s. Rather than serving as circulating currency, the document represents a fractional savings deposit certificate issued by one of the many mutual savings institutions that emerged in American cities during the early nineteenth century. The text of the instrument reveals its purpose: a depositor places ten cents with the institution, which promises repayment with interest at two percent per annum, or redemption on demand once the accumulated balance reaches five dollars in current bank notes. ... Read more →

United States 1988A — 10 Dollars Federal Reserve Note Philadelphia District Insufficient Inking on Face Error (Friedberg 2028-C)

This 1988A 10 Dollars Federal Reserve Note from the Philadelphia District (Friedberg 2028-C, CA Block) exhibits a major Insufficient Inking Error across its face printing. The left and right '10' denomination medallions, top border inscriptions, and parts of the ornamental scrollwork show extreme fading, with many engraved lines barely visible. The green Treasury seal and serial numbers remain sharp and fully inked, confirming that the fault occurred during the black intaglio printing pass, prior to the overprint stage. ... Read more →

United States 1929 - 20 Dollars Type 1 National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Youngstown, Ohio Charter 3 (Fr. 1802-1)

Low-charter national. The First National Bank of Youngstown operated under Charter 3, a single-digit charter number issued in the opening days of the National Banking era. Early charters are coveted because they document the very first adopters of the 1863 National Banking system and their numbers stayed with the bank through every redesign and consolidation. ... Read more →

United States 1902 — 5 Dollars Blue Seal Plain Back National Bank Note - The First National Bank of Youngstown, Ohio Charter 3 (Friedberg 600)

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. ... Read more →

United States 1929 - 5 Dollars Type 2 National Bank Note — The First National Bank of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Charter 1 (Fr. 1800-2)

Issued by The First National Bank of Philadelphia under Charter 1 — the very first federal national bank charter granted following the National Banking Act of 1863 — this five-dollar note represents the closing generation of National Currency printed before the system ended in the 1930s. Charter 1 defined the origin of federally chartered banking in the United States, anchoring Philadelphia’s financial network through multiple eras: Civil War greenbacks, Gilded Age expansion, and the economic transitions of the early twentieth century. Its officers, including C. ... Read more →

United States 1933 - Any City, U.S.A. 5 Dollars City and County Scrip Specimen (Generic Municipal Master Form)

This specimen represents a generic City and County municipal scrip master form, dated Series of 1933 and denominated Five Dollars, produced during the most acute phase of the Great Depression. Explicitly designated for use by ANY CITY, U.S.A., the instrument was not issued by a specific municipality but instead functioned as a standardized template intended for rapid adoption by multiple cities and counties facing severe liquidity collapse. During the banking crisis of 1933, municipalities across the United States encountered simultaneous failures of cash circulation, delayed tax receipts, and restricted access to credit markets. ... Read more →

United States 1934 — New Jersey 10 Dollars County of Atlantic School Scrip Specimen (November 1 Issue)

This specimen represents an official county-level school tax scrip issued by the County of Atlantic, New Jersey, dated November 1, 1934, and denominated Ten Dollars. It belongs to a category of legally authorized educational finance instruments created during the Great Depression, when counties were confronted with the collapse of normal revenue flows and were forced to adopt extraordinary measures to sustain public schooling. Unlike informal emergency substitutes or privately issued local notes, this instrument was grounded in a defined statutory and administrative framework. ... Read more →

United States 1933 — New Jersey 5 Dollars Borough of Palmyra Municipal Scrip Specimen (General Obligation)

This specimen represents an official municipal scrip issued by the Borough of Palmyra, Burlington County, New Jersey, Series of 1933, and denominated Five Dollars. It originates from the most acute phase of the Great Depression, when local governments faced severe liquidity shortages and were compelled to issue interest-bearing scrip to meet ordinary municipal obligations in the absence of sufficient circulating cash. Municipal scrip functioned as a direct acknowledgment of indebtedness by the issuing authority, intended for local circulation or settlement rather than long-term financing. ... Read more →

United States 1935 — New Jersey 1 Dollar Borough of Palmyra Municipal Scrip Specimen (General Obligation)

This specimen represents an official municipal scrip issued by the Borough of Palmyra, Burlington County, New Jersey, Series of 1935, and denominated One Dollar. It belongs to the later phase of Depression-era local finance, when smaller municipalities continued to rely on interest-bearing scrip to manage routine obligations amid prolonged economic strain and uneven recovery. Municipal scrip differed from tax anticipation notes and formal bond issues in that it functioned as a direct acknowledgment of indebtedness by the issuing municipality, intended for circulation or settlement within the local economy. ... Read more →