View source for National Gold Bank Note

{{Infobox banknote
| denomination        = National Gold Bank Note
| country             = United States Of America
| value               = $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500
| unit                =
| width_mm            =
| height_mm           =
| weight_g            =
| security_features   = None
| paper_type          =
| years_of_printing   = 1870 &ndash; 1875 
| obverse             = US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B (obverse only).jpg
| obverse_design      = Various
| obverse_designer    =
| obverse_design_date = 1870s
| reverse             = US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B (reverse only).jpg 
| reverse_design      = Ornamental with an array of United States gold coins
| reverse_designer    =
| reverse_design_date = 1870s
}}
'''National Gold Bank Notes''' were [[National Bank Note]]s 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.<ref name="Zerbe">{{cite journal|last=Zerbe| first=Farran| year=1898 |title= National Gold Bank Notes|journal=The Numismatist |volume= 30|issue= 1|page=158|publisher= The American Numismatic Association|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VGg-AQAAMAAJ |access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref> A $1,000 [[banknote|note]] was designed and printed but never issued.<ref name="Friedberg16">Friedberg & Friedberg, 2010, p. 160.</ref> During the issuing period of national gold banks (1871–83), the [[United States Department of the Treasury|U.S. Treasury]] issued 200,558 notes<ref name="Huntoon126">Huntoon, 1996, p. 126.</ref> totaling $3,465,240.<ref name="Zerbe"/> 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.{{#tag:ref |"Any National Gold Bank Note in crisp new condition is practically unheard of and is an outstanding rarity. The general condition in which these notes are found is one of advanced circulation and notes in very fine or better condition are extremely rare."<ref name="Friedberg16"/>| group="nb"}} Approximately 630 National Gold Bank Notes are known to exist, and roughly 20 grade above "very fine".<ref name="NBNCensus website">{{Cite journal| title = The National Bank Note Census | publisher = The National Currency Foundation  | url = http://nbncensus.com|access-date = 13 May 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==History==

The National Gold Bank Notes were authorized under the provisions of the Currency Act of July 12, 1870.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ad=article&ArticleId=26140|title=Collecting National Gold Bank Notes|website=www.numismaster.com}}</ref> The series was a result of the [[California Gold Rush]], where gold coins were preferred in commerce.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hokanson-coins.com/US-NATIONAL-GOLD-BANK-NOTES.html|title=National Gold Bank Notes|work=www.hokanson-coins.com|access-date=2012-06-05}}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.coinworld.com/large-size-paper-money/ About Paper Money - Large-size paper money - Early federal issues] Coin World</ref>

{{-}}

==Issuing banks==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Issuers of National Gold Bank Notes<ref name="Friedberg & Friedberg, pp. 160–63">Friedberg & Friedberg, pp. 160–63.</ref>
|-
! scope="col" style="width:300px;"| Title
! scope="col" style="width:100px;"| City
<!--! scope="col" style="width:200px;" class="unsortable"| Image  IN PROGRESS-->
! scope="col" style="width:40px; "| Charter
! scope="col" style="width:80px; "| Date<ref name="Huntoon121">Huntoon, 1996, p. 121.</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:200px; " class="unsortable"|Denominations
! scope="col" style="width:40px; " |Total issue
|-

! scope="row"| The Kidder National Gold Bank{{#tag:ref |The Kidder National Gold Bank ordered 250 notes which were returned (in full) to the comptroller of the currency's office.<ref>Huntoon, 1996, p. 118.</ref> | group="nb"}}
| [[Boston]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|1699
|15 Aug 1870
|50, 100, 500, 1000<ref name="Huntoon122">Huntoon, 1996, p. 122.</ref>
|$120,000<ref name="Huntoon125">Huntoon, 1996, p. 125.</ref>
|-

! scope="row"| The First National Gold Bank
| [[San Francisco]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|1741
|30 Nov 1870
|5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500<ref name=" Huntoon122"/>
|$1,185,000<ref name=" Huntoon125"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The National Gold Bank and Trust Company
| San Francisco
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|1994
|3 Jun 1872
|5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500<ref name="Huntoon123">Huntoon, 1996, p. 123.</ref>
|$853,750<ref name=" Huntoon125"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The National Gold Bank of D.O. Mills & Co.
| [[Sacramento]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2014
|19 Jul 1872
|5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500<ref name=" Huntoon123"/>
|$270,450<ref name=" Huntoon125"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The First National Gold Bank
| [[Stockton, California|Stockton]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2077
|27 Jan 1873
|5, 10, 20, 50, 100<ref name=" Huntoon123"/>
|$414,700<ref name=" Huntoon125"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The First National Gold Bank
| [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2104
|7 May 1873
|5, 10, 50, 100<ref name="Huntoon124">Huntoon, 1996, p. 124.</ref>
|$80,000<ref name=" Huntoon125"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The Farmers National Gold Bank
| [[San Jose, California|San Jose]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2158
|21 Jul 1874
|5, 10, 20, 50, 100<ref name=" Huntoon124"/>
|$242,590<ref name=" Huntoon126"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The First National Gold Bank
| [[Petaluma]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2193
|25 Sep 1874
|10, 20, 50, 100<ref name=" Huntoon124"/>
|$178,150<ref name=" Huntoon126"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The First National Gold Bank
| [[Oakland]]
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2248
|10 Apr 1875
|10, 20<ref name=" Huntoon124"/>
|$80,600<ref name=" Huntoon126"/>
|-

! scope="row"| The Union National Gold Bank
| Oakland
<!--|[[File: |200px|alt=]]-->
|2266
|20 May 1875
|10, 20, 50, 100<ref name=" Huntoon124"/>
|$40,000<ref name=" Huntoon126"/>
|}

==Series overview==

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Complete type set of known denominations<ref name="Friedberg & Friedberg, pp. 160–63"/>
|-
! scope="col" style="width:50px;"| Value
! scope="col" style="width:150px;" | Image
! scope="col" style="width:100px; " | Plate dates
! scope="col" style="width:250px; " | Signatures{{#tag:ref |On the notes illustrated.| group="nb"}}
! scope="col" style="width:100px; "|Remarks{{#tag:ref |All population and issuance statistics cited are attributed to the National Bank Note Census and were retrieved mid-May, 2014.<ref name="NBNCensus website"/>| group="nb"}}
|-

! scope="row"| $5
|[[File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B.jpg|alt1=$5 National Gold Bank Note, The First National Gold Bank of San Francisco|150px]] 
|1870, 1872, 1873, 1874
|[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18940504.2.128&srpos=3&e=-------en--20--1-byDA.rev-txt-txIN-%22Edwin+D.+Morgan%22+bank----- Edwin D. Morgan] (cashier) and<br/>[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SDU18930612.2.48 Ralph C. Woolworth] (president)<ref name="OCC(1879)750">{{cite report | year=1879 |title= Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency |page=750|publisher= Office of the Comptroller of the Currency|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eeI_AAAAYAAJ&q=woolworth+%22comptroller%22+%22First+national+gold+bank%22+san+francisco&pg=PA750|access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref>
|427 reported
|-

! scope="row"|$10 
| [[File:US-NBN-CA-Oakland-2248-1870-10-388-B.jpg|alt1=$10 National Gold Bank Note, The First National Gold Bank of Oakland|150px]]
|1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875
|[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18891125.2.63&srpos=6&e=-------en--20--1-byDA.rev-txt-txIN-%22Galen+M.+Fisher%22+bank-----# Galen M. Fisher] (cashier) and<br/>[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18960625.2.147&srpos=2&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22Benjamin+F.+Ferris%22-----# Benjamin F. Ferris] (president)<ref name="OCC(1876)756">{{cite report | year=1876 |title= Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency |page=756|publisher= Office of the Comptroller of the Currency|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hk9HAQAAIAAJ&q=Ferris+%22comptroller%22+%22First+national+gold+bank%22+Oakland&pg=PA756|access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref>
|117 reported
|-

! scope="row"| $20
| [[File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-20-2772-C.jpg|alt1=$20 National Gold Bank Note, The First National Gold Bank of San Francisco|150px]]
|1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875
|Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and<br/>Ralph C. Woolworth (president)<ref name="OCC(1879)750"/>
|71 reported
|-

! scope="row"|$50 
| [[File:US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-50-1616-A.jpg|alt1=$50 National Gold Bank Note, The First National Gold Bank of San Francisco|150px]]
|1870, 1874
|Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and<br/>Ralph C. Woolworth (president)<ref name="OCC(1879)750"/>
|7 reported<ref>Friedberg & Friedberg, 2010, p. 162</ref>
|-

! scope="row"| $100
| [[File:US-NBN-CA-Petaluma-2193-1870-100-209-A.jpg|alt1=$100 National Gold Bank Note, The First National Gold Bank of Petaluma|150px]]
|1870, 1873, 1874, 1875
|[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18970812.2.42 Henry H. Atwater] (cashier) and<br/>[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18990621.2.39 Issac G. Wickersham] (president)<ref name="OCC(1879)749">{{cite report | year=1879 |title= Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency |page=749|publisher= Office of the Comptroller of the Currency|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eeI_AAAAYAAJ|access-date=14 May 2014}}</ref>
|9 reported<ref name="Friedberg163">Friedberg & Friedberg, 2010, p. 163</ref>
|-

! scope="row"| $500
| align="center"| None known
| 1870, 1872
|
|Unknown{{#tag:ref |$500 National Gold Bank Notes were issued by only three banks. Four notes have not been redeemed but to date none have been reported.<ref name="Friedberg163"/>| group="nb"}}
|-

! $1,000
| align="center"| None known
| 1870
| 
| Not issued{{#tag:ref |The $1,000 National Gold Bank Note was not circulated.| group="nb"}}
|-
|}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last1=Friedberg |first1=Arthur L. |last2=Friedberg |first2=Ira S. |year=2010 |title= Paper Money of the United States: A Complete Illustrated Guide With Valuations |publisher= Coin & Currency Institute |edition=19th|isbn=978-0-87184-519-1}}
*{{cite book |last1=Huntoon |first1=Peter W. |year=1995 |title= United States Large Size National Bank Notes |publisher= Society of Paper Money Collectors, Inc. |isbn=0-9648774-1-4}}
*{{cite report | year=1876 |title= Annual Report of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)|publisher= Office of the Comptroller of the Currency|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hk9HAQAAIAAJ|access-date=14 May 2014}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United States}}
{{commonscat|National Gold Bank Notes|<br/>National Gold Bank Notes}}
* [http://www.coinworld.com/large-size-paper-money/ About Paper Money - Large-size paper money - Early federal issues] Coin World
* [http://www.frbsf.org/currency/metal/national/index.html Pictures of National Gold Bank Notes] The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

{{Obsolete U.S. currency and coinage}}
{{Money and central banking within the contemporary United States (pre–1913)}}

[[Category:Banknotes of the United States]]
[[Category:Historical currencies of the United States]]
[[Category:1870s in California]]
[[Category:1880s in California]]
[[Category:Economy of California]]