Old Money from The First National Bank Of Wilmington | 473

The First National Bank Of Wilmington

The First National Bank Of Wilmington in Delaware printed $2,477,150 dollars worth of national currency. Over $1,000,000 face value is a lot of money. However, some types and denominations of currency from this bank could still be rare. This national bank opened in 1864 and stopped printing money in 1912, which equals a 49 year printing period. That is a fairly normal lifespan for a national bank. During its life, The First National Bank Of Wilmington issued 19 different types and denominations of national currency. We have examples of the types listed below. Your bank note should look similar. Just the bank name will be different. For the record, The First National Bank Of Wilmington was located in New Castle County. It was assigned charter number 473.

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The First National Bank Of Wilmington in Delaware printed 4,500 sheets of $5 original series national bank notes. It is actually pretty standard for an early national bank to have a sheet output range between 2,500 and 5,000. The exact value of a bill is still going to be based on the number of notes known and the condition of each bank note. Each five dollar original series bank note has a spiked red seal. That is pretty much the only design difference between it and later issues. These are really beautiful notes. One neat thing about these is that the back of each note has a vignette of the corresponding state seal. Some of the state seals are very imaginative. Collecting by state seal was very popular early on in the hobby. Today most collectors are more concerned about bank of issue and condition. Serial number one bank notes are also extremely popular.
Original Series $5 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington printed 3,300 sheets of $10 original series national bank notes. It is actually pretty standard for an early national bank to have a sheet output range between 2,500 and 5,000. The exact value of a bill is still going to be based on the number of notes known and the condition of each bank note. These notes were issued during the glory days of the national bank note era. Each $10 bill was pen signed by the president and cashier of the bank. Small towns and large cities both issued these notes. Of course the small town issuers tend to be scarcer today. Prices range from $500 to thousands of dollars (and more if the condition and rarity warrant it). Contact us if you need help valuing your bank note.
Original Series $10 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 3,300 sheets of $20 original series national bank notes. That issue number may or may not sound like a lot of sheets depending on your experience with collectible currency. However, all original series $20 bills are rare. The production amount is irrelevant when it comes to values. These seem like common issues until you want to buy one. These just aren’t readily available from rare banks in very fine or better condition. We definitely feel like these are undervalued in today’s market.
Original Series $20 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 2,260 sheets of $50 original series national bank notes. The printing number for original series $50 bills is irrelevant. There are only about 35 known to exist from all banks in the country. Despite being extremely rare, condition is still very important. Lots of first charter fifty dollar bills are heavily circulated; there are significant premiums for anything that grades extremely fine or higher.
Original Series $50 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 2,260 sheets of $100 original series national bank notes. The same piece of advice applies here as it does to first charter fifties. These are rare enough to the point that printing numbers don’t matter. The same condition guidelines apply to original series $100 bank notes. These traded hands frequently and are often found in “well-used” states today. As with other bank notes, there can be huge price gaps between different grade points.
Original Series $100 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,400 sheets of $10 series of 1875 national bank notes. Any time you see a print range between 1,000 and 2,500 you can assume that the bank was small and that their notes could be fairly scarce. The two vignettes seen on 1875 $10 bank notes are “Franklin and Electricity” and “America Seizing Lightning”. These notes occasionally confuse novices because the year 1752 is printed on them. That is when Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. It has nothing to do with when these bank notes were issued. The back of each $10 bill has “DeSoto Discovering the Mississippi.”
Series of 1875 $10 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,400 sheets of $20 series of 1875 national bank notes. The exact number of series of 1875 $20 national bank notes printed by this bank is good to know. Don’t expect a high number to lower the value or a small number to increase the value. These notes are scarce enough on their own that the stats don’t really matter. Twenty dollars was a lot of money between 1875 and 1901, which is the time period in which these were printed. These just weren’t saved in high numbers.
Series of 1875 $20 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,588 sheets of $50 series of 1875 national bank notes. The printing number for original series $50 bills is irrelevant. There are only about 35 known to exist from all banks in the country. To make matters worse, these are not being discovered much at all these days. The supply is pretty constant, as is the demand. Prices start at about $10,000 and can go up sharply from there.
Series of 1875 $50 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,588 sheets of $100 series of 1875 national bank notes. There are currently only about 70 series of 1875 $100 national bank notes known to exist. So the sheet output is really only included for factual purposes – it won’t affect values. The actual value is based on condition and bank of issue. If you don’t know how to grade currency, then send us pictures of what you have. We can help you grade and value any national bank note. Of course series of 1875 $100 bank notes would be a treat to see.
Series of 1875 $100 National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,017 sheets of $10 1882 brown back national bank notes. That sheet output number is small. Don’t expect too many of these to be available to collectors. There were three $10 bills printed on a single sheet of 1882 brown backs. The design of the bill is similar to all earlier ten dollar national bank notes. The nickname comes from the fact that these bills have a brown seal and brown overprint. Despite saying series of 1882, these were actually printed by some banks up until 1908. The date you see in cursive relates to when the bank first started issuing brown back notes.
Series of 1882 $10 Brown Back

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 1,017 sheets of $20 1882 brown back national bank notes. As you can see, the sheet output is the same for $20 brown backs as it is for $10 brown backs. There was only one $20 brown back printed on a sheet. So the sheet output also equals the total note output. One neat thing about all brown backs is that they each have a different back design based on which state issued them. The back left hand side of the note shows the state seal of which ever state the national bank was located in. Generally speaking, 1882 $20 brown backs are pretty difficult to locate. They typically were printed in small numbers and they don’t have a great survival rate.
Series of 1882 $20 Brown Back

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 4,545 sheets of $50 1882 brown back national bank notes. Not many banks printed $50 1882 brown backs. Sheet outputs aren’t extremely important. However, it is good factual information to know. The most common 1882 $50 brown backs are worth about $5,000. However, some can be worth more than $10,000 based on condition, serial number, and bank of issue.
Series of 1882 $50 Brown Back

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 4,545 sheets of $100 1882 brown back national bank notes. Just because this bank printed more than 1,000 one hundred dollar brown backs does not mean that they are all common. We are very interested in purchasing $100 1882 brown back national bank notes. We have paid more than $15,000 for some examples. Send us pictures of what you have and we will respond quickly with an appraisal and offer.
Series of 1882 $100 Brown Back

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 2,750 sheets of $5 1902 red seal national bank notes. That may sound like a high number. However, red seals did not survive in large numbers. It is likely still quite rare. Five dollar red seals are typically a little bit rarer than some higher denominations. That rarity is typically just a result of small issuances. Most national banks preferred to issue $10 and $20 1902 red seals. Each one of these five dollar bank notes has a portrait of Ben Harrison on the left hand side of the bill. Most people are quick to notice the cursive charter date with a year between 1902 and 1908 written on it. That date will never affect the value.
1902 $5 Red Seal National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 3,300 sheets of $10 1902 red seal national bank notes. That may sound like a high number. However, red seals did not survive in large numbers. It is likely still quite rare. Collectors love ten dollar 1902 red seals. They usually represent the rarest bank notes printed by any national bank. Don’t let the term “series of 1902” confuse you. These were actually printed for about six years between 1902 and 1908. That is obviously a very short issue period which means that many red seals are quite rare. Each note has a portrait of William McKinley. Be sure to check the number under McKinley. If it is #1 then you are dealing with a note from the first sheet of bank notes issued. Number one bank notes are worth even more money than the already rare red seals.
1902 $10 Red Seal National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 3,300 sheets of $20 1902 red seal national bank notes. Twenty dollar red seal bank notes have poor survival rates. They don’t command premiums compared to the ten dollar denomination, but they are definitely rarer. All 1902 red seals were printed on four note sheets. There were three ten dollar bills and one twenty dollar bill per sheet. The 1902 $20 notes have a portrait of Hugh McCulloch on them. The charter number and seal are both printed in red ink. The serial numbers have a slight blue tint to them. The charter number is printed around the border of the note several times. The bank’s title is right in the middle of the note and the state of issue is printed just below the title. Remember that all national bank notes are valued based on their condition and rarity. The same rule applies to 1902 $20 red seals.
1902 $20 Red Seal National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 4,250 sheets of $5 1902 blue seal national bank notes. Many small national banks could be in business for years and only print between 2,500 and 5,000 sheets of blue seals. Ben Harrison is on the front of all 1902 $5 blue seal bank notes. This happens to be the smallest denomination issued for the 1902 series. Each note is complete with a blue seal and blue charter number. Despite saying series of 1902, these were actually issued by national banks between 1908 and 1928. There are two different types of blue seals. The first type is called a date back and it has “1902-1908” written on the back of the bill. The other type is called a plain back; it does not have the date stamps on the back of the bill. The values for these notes range widely based on condition and the bank of issue.
1902 $5 Blue Seal National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 3,051 sheets of $10 1902 blue seal national bank notes. Many small national banks could be in business for years and only print between 2,500 and 5,000 sheets of blue seals. 1902 $10 blue seal bank notes all have a portrait of William McKinley on them. Values can range from as little as $40 up to over $10,000. There really is no trick to know what is rare and what is common by just doing an internet search. You really need to work with an expert (like us) in order to determine the value of your specific bank note. There are at least ten different factors than can make some 1902 $10 blue seals worth more than others. We know exactly what to look for and we would be happy to provide a free appraisal and our best offer.
1902 $10 Blue Seal National Bank Note

The First National Bank Of Wilmington also printed 3,051 sheets of $20 1902 blue seal national bank notes. The same rarity rules for 1902 $10 blue seals also apply to $20 blue seals. Just remember that $20 bills are by nature three times rarer (unfortunately they don’t command a premium over other denominations). Hugh McCulloch is pictured on the front of each bill. Contact us if you need pricing help.
1902 $20 Blue Seal National Bank Note

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