| (United States Of America) | |
|---|---|
| Value | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500 |
| Security features | None |
| Years of printing | 1870 – 1875 |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Various |
| Design date | 1870s |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Ornamental with an array of United States gold coins |
| Design date | 1870s |
National Gold Bank Notes were National Bank Notes issued by nine national gold banks in California in the 1870s and 1880s and redeemable in gold. Printed on a yellow-tinted paper, six denominations circulated: $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500.[1] A $1,000 note was designed and printed but never issued.[2] During the issuing period of national gold banks (1871–83), the U.S. Treasury issued 200,558 notes[3] totaling $3,465,240.[1] Today, National Gold Bank Notes are rare in the higher denominations (and unknown on some issuing banks) with condition generally falling in the good-to-fine range.[nb 1] Approximately 630 National Gold Bank Notes are known to exist, and roughly 20 grade above "very fine".[4]
The National Gold Bank Notes were authorized under the provisions of the Currency Act of July 12, 1870.[5] The series was a result of the California Gold Rush, where gold coins were preferred in commerce.[6] Ten national gold banks were charted, nine of them in California and one in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Kidder Bank was the only bank to have $1,000 notes among others prepared, however, no notes circulated from the bank.[7]
| Title | City | Charter | Date[9] | Denominations | Total issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kidder National Gold Bank[nb 2] | Boston | 1699 | 15 Aug 1870 | 50, 100, 500, 1000[11] | $120,000[12] |
| The First National Gold Bank | San Francisco | 1741 | 30 Nov 1870 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500[11] | $1,185,000[12] |
| The National Gold Bank and Trust Company | San Francisco | 1994 | 3 Jun 1872 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500[13] | $853,750[12] |
| The National Gold Bank of D.O. Mills & Co. | Sacramento | 2014 | 19 Jul 1872 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500[13] | $270,450[12] |
| The First National Gold Bank | Stockton | 2077 | 27 Jan 1873 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100[13] | $414,700[12] |
| The First National Gold Bank | Santa Barbara | 2104 | 7 May 1873 | 5, 10, 50, 100[14] | $80,000[12] |
| The Farmers National Gold Bank | San Jose | 2158 | 21 Jul 1874 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100[14] | $242,590[3] |
| The First National Gold Bank | Petaluma | 2193 | 25 Sep 1874 | 10, 20, 50, 100[14] | $178,150[3] |
| The First National Gold Bank | Oakland | 2248 | 10 Apr 1875 | 10, 20[14] | $80,600[3] |
| The Union National Gold Bank | Oakland | 2266 | 20 May 1875 | 10, 20, 50, 100[14] | $40,000[3] |
| Value | Image | Plate dates | Signatures[nb 3] | Remarks[nb 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | 
|
1870, 1872, 1873, 1874 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president)[15] |
427 reported |
| $10 | 
|
1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Galen M. Fisher (cashier) and Benjamin F. Ferris (president)[16] |
117 reported |
| $20 | 
|
1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president)[15] |
71 reported |
| $50 | 
|
1870, 1874 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president)[15] |
7 reported[17] |
| $100 | 
|
1870, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Henry H. Atwater (cashier) and Issac G. Wickersham (president)[18] |
9 reported[19] |
| $500 | None known | 1870, 1872 | Unknown[nb 5] | |
| $1,000 | None known | 1870 | Not issued[nb 6] |
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