Bank Note Reporter

2026 Show Auction and GUIDE

Featuring the hobby’s most complete listing of coin shows

Civil War-Era

I recently asked my oftentimes collaborator, Lee Lofthus, if he had a suitable note for the Reader’s Showcase. He immediately sent a pair of 1929 notes, consisting of a type 1 and a type 2, from The National Bank of Manassas, Virginia, along with a...

Don’t miss out on the latest currency auction!

Among the many items for sale at Geoffrey Bell Auctions' September 30—October 3 event was a remarkable selection of Canadian bank notes that captivated collectors both in the Great White North and abroad. These bidders were after 150 highly...

Rare notes from BOONTON, NEW JERSEY

Series of 1929 Treasures IN EASTHAMPTON

This month, we venture north to New England and visit the town whose bank is the source of perhaps the largest hoard of small size nationals ever discovered. After being found in a local safe deposit box in the early 1960s, a vast collection of crisp,...

Horses on U.S. CURRENCY

In the March 2025 issue of Bank Note Reporter, I examined images of dogs on U.S. currency, showcasing a vast array of notes featuring a diverse portrayal of dogs. While dogs are often considered man’s best friend now, horses were much more essential...

The Bank Note Connection

to the Teapot Dome Scandal

THE ROAD TO POLYMER BANK NOTES

1961 CUBAN BANK NOTE ISSUES

The present article is a continuation of a previous piece (see “An Iconographic Study of Cuban Bank Notes Issued During the 19th Century” in the March 2025 issue of Bank Note Reporter) devoted to an iconographic study of the Spanish colonial bank note...

DOGS ON 19TH-CENTURY OBSOLETE CURRENCY

LUNAR NEW YEAR BANK NOTES

The start of the new Chinese calendar, often referred to as Lunar New Year, begins on January 29 and ends on February 8. The annual holiday is most popularly celebrated throughout East and South Asia, which includes China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mongolia,...

HUMPHREY BOGART’S “SHORT SNORTER” SIGNATURES

Welcome to the new year, 2025. Last month, I entertained you with an article on the 1891 $1 Treasury note carried through the Spanish-American War deployment of the 157th Indiana Volunteer Infantry by its commander, Colonel George Studebaker. As much...

Inscribed Note Offers Unique Story

This lovely Choice Extremely Fine Series of 1882 $10 Brown Back was issued by the First National Bank of Gilman, Ill., and hails from the author’s collection. It is the only $10 Brown Back known on the bank. Note the lovely pen signatures of bank...

THE FIRST $5 FRNS

Featured is a district set of 1950B FRN $5s. Nice set, so what? The thing the notes have in common is that the serials end with some zeros and a one. This is a series where numbering progressed from the Series of 1950A to 1950B. These notes happen to...

DEBUT OF Cherokee Note

The biggest currency flash at the July 11-13, 2024, Summer FUN Show in Orlando was the unveiling of this new-tothe-census $5 Red Seal from Cherokee, Territory of Oklahoma. I wasn’t at the show but thanks to the speed of the internet, I started hearing...

WHAT Captivates PEOPLE

I’m not going to beat you up this month with some technical dissertation and kill a bunch of trees in the process to get it to you. Let’s get to the essence of a collectible— short, sweet, and memorable. We all have favorites among our notes. Of all...

America The Beautiful

Red Seals: 1. $10 1923 LT, Fr. 123, Poker Chip. Must-have note for every lg sz collection. Don’t gamble; secure this great-looking, problemfree trophy. PCGS-B VF 25 . .............................................. $3850 2. $10 1901 LT, Fr.122, Bison....