Old Money from The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids | 2611

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids in Michigan printed $3,862,840 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 1882 and stopped printing money in 1926, which equals a 45 year printing period. That is a fairly normal lifespan for a national bank. During its life, The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids issued 11 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids was located in Kent County. It was assigned charter number 2611.

We buy all national currency. Please call or email us for a quote. Sales@AntiqueMoney.com

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids in Michigan printed 8,860 sheets of $10 series of 1875 national bank notes. A print range between 5,000 and 10,000 is a pretty high number. But you have to remember we are talking about bank notes from the 1870s and 1880s. Even banks with high issue numbers could be rare today. 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids printed 8,860 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 17,000 sheets of $5 1882 brown back national bank notes. When we start talking about a printing number in the five figure range, then you are likely not dealing with a great rarity. However, the note could certainly still be popular and valuable. You can take the total number of sheets printed and multiply that number by four to get the exact number of 1882 $5 brown back bank notes this bank issued. Each note has a portrait of James Garfield on the left hand side of the bill. These are very popular with collectors because they have different text layouts. Some notes are worth as little as a few hundred dollars, but most are worth a good deal more.
Series of 1882 $5 Brown Back

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 9,600 sheets of $10 1882 brown back national bank notes. A print range between 5,000 and 10,000 suggests that there should be at least a couple of notes known to exist. 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 9,600 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 32,967 sheets of $5 1882 blue seal national bank notes. These were only issued by banks for about ten years (at the most). So it is unusual to see such a high sheet output. This will likely be a common issue unless it is rare signature combination variety. 1882 $5 blue seal bank notes were issued by some national banks in The United States. While these are a somewhat rarer issue, they just aren’t especially popular with collectors. With exception of some minor differences, they look exactly like the earlier brown back series. Most collectors would prefer the brown back notes. With that said, some 1882 blue seals can still be worth thousands of dollars. So don’t just assume that what you have is automatically common.
1882 Blue Seal $5 National Bank Note

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 21,498 sheets of $10 1882 blue seal national bank notes. These were only issued by banks for about ten years (at the most). So it is unusual to see such a high sheet output. This will likely be a common issue unless it is rare signature combination variety. All of these notes say series of 1882 but they were actually printed between 1908 and 1921. So they aren’t quite as old as the dates might suggest. There is also a date on these notes that is between 1888 and 1901. That date is written in cursive text and it represents when the bank was chartered or re-chartered. Some of the so called 1882 value back notes have a chance to be really rare. Most of the earlier notes that say 1882-1908 on the back are likely going to be relatively common. The designs are exactly the same on the front. Each has a blue seal and charter number.
1882 Blue Seal $10 National Bank Note

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 21,498 sheets of $20 1882 blue seal national bank notes. That is the same number of sheets as the ten dollar denomination. You don’t have to multiply by three to get the exact number of notes issued though. There was only one twenty dollar bill per sheet. As with any national bank note, the exact value is still based on the condition, serial number, and bank of issue.
1882 Blue Seal $20 National Bank Note

The Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 18,965 sheets of $5 1902 blue seal national bank notes. Once a bank prints more than 10,000 sheets of blue seals it becomes very difficult for those notes to be rare. 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 9,726 sheets of $10 1902 blue seal national bank notes. That is a fairly standard sheet output for a national bank issuing blue seals. You likely aren’t dealing with a super common or a super rare bank note. 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 Forth National Bank Of Grand Rapids also printed 9,726 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

Email Us Today To Receive Our Offer: Sales@AntiqueMoney.com