| Description |
St. Louis, Missouri Ty. - Bank of St. Louis (1st) $20 March 18, 1817 MO-45 G28. PCGS Very Fine 30. The entire first Bank of St. Louis series is rare and laden with interestingly styled vignettes, all custom engraved by Leney & Rollinson in New York. The $20 Bank of St. Louis note is extremely rare, more so than even the $10 notes from the issue. It also has a spectacular custom vignette created for this type and the highest-denomination $100. The untitled vignette, "The Shot Tower at Herculaneum, Missouri," represents accurately the tower on the limestone bluff. The vignette is especially relevant to the series since the Herculaneum operation was co-founded by bank president Samuel Hammond. It ran from 1809 to1820, and manufactured ammunition used in the War of 1812. Printed on red fiber banknote paper by Leney & Rollinson. At top center is the Herculaneum scene, with the tower peeking upward high above the buildings on the riverbank. The vignette bisects the title with obligations and location below. Finely engraved ends show a moir� pattern at left with TWENTY perpendicular in a cartouche, and a shaded pattern at right with "20" in an oval. Plate A. No. 56. Signed by John B. N. Smith as cashier and S. Hammond as bank president. Prior to the example sold in Newman Part VIII for $4,560 (equivalent to this piece), the last issued note was sold in the Western Reserve Historical Society eight-note set in 1996. There was also a $20 India paper proof in the 2005 Ford Part VIII sale from the archive book. The $50 and $100 notes from the series are nearly impossible to find, and this is the highest denomination Eric was able to acquire from the bank. The note looks new at first glance and has complete margins. There is a short printing void in the left panel, as made. Historic, artistic, and another exceptional territorial-period banknote. Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
From Newman X (Heritage Auctions, November 2018), lot 20143, realized $6000. |
