HERITAGE: FUN CURRENCY AUCTION

PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE FULL ISSUE PREV FULL ISSUE

V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 2, 2026, Article 16

Heritage Auctions will be hosting their FUN U.S. Currency Auction from January 13-16. Select items from the Curators' Picks are discussed below. -Garrett

T5 $100 1861 PF-1 Cr. 5 PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ.
This note was designed, engraved, and printed by the New Orleans branch of the ABNCo under the banner of the Southern Bank Note Company, a trade name from the 1840s dusted off to provide some cover from negative publicity for the parent company in New York. The tiny New Orleans office was ill-suited to design and produce new designs in volume, and deliveries stretched out into August and September 1861 before production and design efforts were shifted to other lower denominations needed by the Confederacy. Only 5,798 notes were issued as a result, and this well printed intaglio engraved design is one of the keys to the Confederate series. A lovely addition to any Confederate collection.

To read the complete item description, see:
T5 $100 1861 PF-1 Cr. 5 PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ. (https://currency.ha.com/itm/confederate-notes/1861-issues/t5-100-1861-pf-1-cr-5-pmg-choice-uncirculated-64-epq/a/3600-20027.s)

Canton, MA- Neponset Bank $20 Feb. 1, 186__ G34a PCGS Banknote About Unc 55.
The bank was incorporated in 1836 and remained in business until succeeded by the Neponset National Bank of Canton in December 1864. The word "spectacular" probably comes closest to describing this note's visual appeal. ABNCo made lavish use of color with vibrant red end panels containing vignettes of children feeding a foal at left and another titled The Calmady Children based on a painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence at right. The center of the note is covered by an overall red tint and a gray TWENTY DOLLARS security panel. Printed on India paper, the note has four POCs in the signature lines. The note serves as the plate note in the Whitman catalog and likely filled the same role in the Haxby catalog. This appearance marks our first offering of this striking note which Bowers pegs as one of two surviving examples known in Proof form.
From The Charles River Collection

Taunton, MA- Taunton Bank $500 18__ as G130a Proof PMG About Uncirculated 50.
The bank was incorporated in 1812 and remained in business until becoming the Taunton National Bank in 1865. Printed and designed by National Bank Note Company, this $500 design features a fantastic eagle vignette that was also used on the first $100 United States Legal Tender notes (Fr. 165-167b). An oval male portrait, taken from life, is at lower right and an intricate green protector panel and border as well as two ornate black 500 counters complete the design. The note is printed on India paper, with minor stains and equally minor edge tears, mounted on cardstock with five POCs in the signature lines. All high denomination color Proofs are both excessively rare and popular with collectors and this note's great provenance, once being part of The Eric P. Newman Collection, will also stoke interest. This marks the third time we have offered this note in the last decade. The prices realized have been volatile, bringing $30,550 in 2015 and $13,200 in 2020. We believe that this third offering should settle someplace in between those two price levels in today's market environment.
From The Charles River Collection

Charlottesville, VA- Monticello Bank $9 July 1, 1861 G19a PMG Very Fine 20.
The Monticello Bank was established on March 22, 1853, under Virginia's Free Banking Law. A successful period of operations followed, and in 1865, this concern shuttered its doors to make way for the Charlottesville National Bank, charter 1468. Well-known amongst the collecting community for its eye-catching, colorful notes, this institution also emitted several odd denomination examples in the form of $6, $7, $8, and $9 notes. This $9, produced by Danforth, Wright & Co., is a marvelous representative of an excessively rare type. At left, Proserpina clutches a cornucopia, at center, livestock drink from a pond under the watchful eyes of several farmers, and at right, Virtus stands over her fallen enemy in an illustration of the Virginia state seal. A large, ornate red "NINE" overprint is observed at lower center. While we have offered a small number of $6s and $7s over the past half decade, a $9 from this organization has not crossed our auction block since July 2020, when a PMG 15 certified piece brought $9,000. Prior to that offering, we had only auctioned one other representative of this design and denomination, a PCGS Apparent VF 20 graded note which fetched $8,225. Based on these realizations, we will estimate quite conservatively, but we could very well see spirited bidding which will propel this example's price beyond our evaluation. PMG comments on several inconsequential annotations and pinholes.

Jackson, MS - $5 1882 Brown Back Fr. 467 The First National Bank Ch. # 3332 PMG Very Fine 30.
A spectacular capital city Brown Back, this piece is making its first public appearance since our 2005 FUN auction where we said, "A note which truly offers everything a collector of National Bank Notes could ever desire. It is making its first appearance on the market in forty-nine years, having last appeared as part of lot 287 of New Netherlands' T. James Clarke collection, sold in April of 1956. Why it was in a group lot we have no idea, since the cataloger identified it as "really rare" and took pains to point out the "Ornate embellishment of the bank title and plate make up." It's the only fancy layout Brown Back we've ever seen or heard of from any Mississippi bank and the only Brown Back of any denomination known from the state capital." Since then, one other $5 Brown Back has surfaced from this charter, but it does not bear the fancy "Circus Poster" style layout. In the halcyon days of 2005, this great note fetched a strong $34,500. While we do not expect that type of realization tonight, this pen-signed beauty is rare and desirable enough to still bring a strong five-figure price.

Lima, OH - $5 1882 Brown Back Fr. 477 The American National Bank Ch. # 5125 PMG About Uncirculated 55 EPQ.
This wonderful Ohio rarity is a true miracle of survival. It comes from a very short-lived Allen County bank that was only in business for ten months from June of 1898 until April of 1899. During that brief time, its total issuance was only $23,000 and, by 1910, it had just $295 outstanding. This lovely note is the only known survivor from this very rare charter and is making its first public appearance since we auctioned it as part of The Lowell Yoder Collection in 2009. It is as pretty as it is rare, with only the lightest of centerfolds removing it from the Gem category. As we said over fifteen years ago, this is truly a note fit for the finest of collections.

Fr. 346e Hessler 1411 (H1411FD) $1,000 1891 Silver Certificate Face/Front Proof PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ.
A beautiful Face Proof with a stunning design that was printed on India paper. The portrait at left is of Liberty, who bears a striking resemblance to stage actress Josie Mansfield, the paramour of robber baron and patron of the arts, "Jubilee Jim" Fisk or if you like, the "Barnum of Wall Street." Fisk was murdered by another one of Ms. Mansfield's suitors and Fisk's business partner, Ned Stokes, in 1872. Stokes would endure three trials before being found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to four years in prison. The portrait at right is of William L. Marcy, life-long politician, with stops as governor of New York, 1833-1839; United States Secretary of War, 1845-1849; and United States Secretary of State, 1853-1857. The actual Proof impression is flawless, with PMG mentioning that the impression is unaffected by an issue in the selvage, which is minor handling and a penciled "(9)" at back upper right.

There are only two issued notes of this design known. One is held by the Smithsonian Institution, and the other Fr. 346e is in private hands, being ex: Amon Carter and Joel Anderson. The Carter-Anderson issued example sold for $1,920,000 in 2019. As far as Proofs are concerned, Hessler was aware of only three examples, all face designs. Tonight is an exciting opportunity to add this Friedberg number to your collection.