SPRING VALLEY ILLINOIS NATIONAL BANK NOTE

They found it at an auction in Florida about 1,000 miles and 130 years removed from its origin in the Illinois Valley.

But the $5 Spring Valley National Bank note is back in Spring Valley sitting sealed in plastic and nestled safely in the confines of Valley-Coin-Jewelry-Pawn.

"If it could talk," said owner Chris Drewel. "It’s been spent. It’s been folded in people’s wallets."

The 1882 series "Brown Back" is one of only two known to exist in the world right now, Drewel said. The Drewel family, which operates the Valley pawn shop, learned of the notes’ existence a few years ago.

"We’d heard about them about two or three years ago and thought, ‘Boy, that’d be something neat to have,’" Drewel said. "We learned that there were two out there. One was in New Jersey and one was in California."

And when the Drewels saw one up for grabs at the Florida United Numismatists show in Orlando last month, they went for it. And they won it.

"There was some fierce bidding," Drewel said. "It’s like the Lombardi Trophy coming home to Green Bay."

To read the complete article, see:
Collectors find rare Spring Valley bank note, one of two known to exist (http://www.newstrib.com/news/collectors-find-rare-spring-valley-bank-note-one-of-two/article_024f2aec-2fd2-11e9-a544-e36ed6e909c2.html#1)

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