United States Paper Money of the Week: Rare Nevada Notes to be offered in the November 2013 Official Currency Auction of the Whitman Coin and Collectibles Baltimore Expo

By Matt Quinn, Assistant Director of Currency

The upcoming November Currency auction will include a significant octet of rare Nevada National bank notes. The offering includes coveted towns such as Eureka, Ely and Winnemucca with the later being offered in both large and small size types. National bank notes from the “Battle Born” state are always a rare sight in public auctions, with only limited appearances each year for even the most well represented charters. The quality and scarcity of this fine grouping will certainly not disappoint.

The first offered Thursday evening will be lot 1552 from the First National Bank of Elko, a 1929 $20 small size note in a pleasing PMG Very Fine 25 grade. The last to sell publicly was a small $10 note in a 2008 sale that brought $16,100. A significant Ely Nevada 1902 Plain Back follows as the next lot, 1553. This lightly circulated PMG graded About Uncirculated 50 note will certainly impress, as the inks remain vivid and circulation is subtle. It is one of only 13 known large size for the charter. The popular town of Eureka is represented next in the form of a 1929 $10 Small Note in a solid Very Fine grade. This is the finest to be offered in several years from the Farmers and Merchants National Bank.

Lot 1555 will offer the scarcest small size Nevada note in the octet; this charter has not been offered publicly since 2005. The note is from the McGill National Bank and displays a single digit serial number, “A000003.” Large and small size Reno notes from the Farmers and Merchants National Bank and First National Bank respectively, are next to be offered, and these are always in high demand. Lastly two Winnemucca Nationals wrap up the Nevada selection and include a prized large size note in PMG Choice Fine 15. The note is one of only 11 known large notes on the charter and should prove quite popular with bidders; a newly discovered piece of the same type and grade brought $25,200 in an April 2013 public auction. Offered next is a PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 note from Winnemucca that comes from a small group of high grade examples in the serial range of F001214A to F001235A.

Altogether this is one of the more important groupings of National bank notes from Nevada to be offered publicly in several years. The notes from this state are difficult to find and always tightly held by collectors. This selection will certainly be carefully watched by bidders and we anticipate spirited bidding before the hammer falls.