The First National Bank Of Lafayette
The First National Bank Of Lafayette in Indiana printed $962,400 dollars worth of national currency. That is a high amount, but condition and serial numbers can make otherwise common currency from this bank quite valuable. This national bank opened in 1863 and stopped printing money in 1882, which equals a 20 year printing period. That is a fairly normal lifespan for a national bank. During its life, The First National Bank Of Lafayette issued 9 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 Lafayette was located in Tippecanoe County. It was assigned charter number 23.
We buy all national currency. Please call or email us for a quote. Sales@AntiqueMoney.com
The First National Bank Of Lafayette in Indiana printed 18,000 sheets of $1 original series national bank notes. These notes were only printed until 1875. For a national bank to print more than 10,000 means that they were doing a lot of business. Your exact note is likely still rare. The value will be more condition based than rarity based though. One of the most interesting things about early first charter one dollar national bank notes is all of the different slight variations you can find. Some notes have a red charter number, others do not. Some have red serial numbers and some have blue serial numbers. Some are printed on white paper and others are printed on paper with a slight blue tint. You can really find lots of different ways to collect these. Generally speaking, prices for “first charter aces” are down from their highs. So there are some bargains in this arena of collecting.
Original Series $1 National Bank Note
The First National Bank Of Lafayette printed 18,000 sheets of $2 original series national bank notes. It is important to know production numbers for original series two dollar bills for informational purposes. All $2 bills printed before 1875 are very rare and highly desirable. Most survivors represent the only known example for that bank. Collectors call these $2 bills lazy deuces. The large two on the face of the bill is pictured horizontally, thus making it look lazy. Don’t be fooled by the silly name though. These can be worth significant amounts of money on many occasions.
Original Series $2 National Bank Note
The First National Bank Of Lafayette also printed 15,000 sheets of $5 original series national bank notes. These notes were only printed until 1875. For a national bank to print more than 10,000 means that they were doing a lot of business. Your exact note is likely still rare. The value will be more condition based than rarity based though. 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 Lafayette also printed 7,000 sheets of $10 original series national bank notes. Just because a print range is between 5,000 and 10,000 doesn’t mean that individual notes will be easy to buy. That number isn’t really high or low. Some notes are extremely rare and some could be from a hoard. Values are determined based on condition and the number of known survivors. 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 Lafayette also printed 750 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 Lafayette also printed 750 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 Lafayette also printed 750 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 Lafayette also printed 4,495 sheets of $5 series of 1875 national bank notes. Hundreds of banks had sheet outputs between 2,500 and 5,000. That is pretty typical for a medium sized national bank in the 1870s. Series of 1875 $5 bills are some of the most commonly encountered bank notes from the first charter series. Only the original series $1 bill is more available. Some banks exclusively issued five dollar bills. So if you want an example from one of those banks then you don’t have many options. These notes have a rounded red seal and red serial numbers. They also all have a red charter number.
Series of 1875 $5 National Bank Note
The First National Bank Of Lafayette also printed 1,500 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
