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1831 Bank of United States Nashville paper note

I was told this could be special. This is apart of an old records collection I have. I always thought it was a check But apparently back then this is also how currency was issued. Any ideas?

Comments

  • JBKJBK Posts: 15,586 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Signatures on these old checks can also be important if they are someone famous or historical.

  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,541 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Pardon me for saying this, but this is a real "Bank of the United States" item - 99% of posts about Bank of the United States are modern fakes.

    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
  • johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 28,335 ✭✭✭✭✭

    fake news? no not here

  • Steve_in_TampaSteve_in_Tampa Posts: 1,959 ✭✭✭✭✭

    This is an example of the fake note.

  • sellitstoresellitstore Posts: 2,870 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 4, 2020 4:00PM

    What you have is actually a post note from a private individual to another individual payable at the Bank of the U.S. The names look like EC Stodder and SW Jubley?

    This example appears to be a duplicate or copy made in 1831. The original would have an actual seal where it says "Seal". They didn't have copy machines so just filled out a duplicate copy so each party could have one.

    This is a stock blank form bought locally and used by various individuals and businesses. "Sold by D. Pearl & Co. Nashville, Te." I'm not seeing this particular design in the Heritage archives. The Nashville branch is somewhat better than the Northeast cities.

    Collector and dealer in obsolete currency. Always buying all obsolete bank notes and scrip.
  • tomtomtomtomtomtomtomtom Posts: 544 ✭✭✭✭

    great info!!

  • While I agree with Russell's identification, I do not agree that this is a copy. It would be extremely rare for there to be more than one copy of a promissory note.

    Notes are negotiable by the holder and if there were a copy held by the debtor it would not contain the endorsements to subsequent holders. The debtor is obligated to pay the holder and could conceivably pay the wrong person if presented an unendorsed copy.

    In enforcing a note, the holder was required to present the original note to the court. If the original note were lost, the holder would be out of luck trying to collect on it. The maker would not want any other evidence of the existence of the debt represented by the note.

    Notes under seal eliminated certain defenses available to the maker if collection were attempted. A hand drawn seal is not unusual on original documents.

    If this were a copy, the signature of the maker would not be an original signature but a conformed one preceded by s/ to indicate it is not the original note.

  • JBKJBK Posts: 15,586 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tend to agree that it is likely am original

    In the olden days the "seal" was a sort of standard guarantee but I think it devolved into a mere formality. Hence, this person's hand drawn seal.

  • sellitstoresellitstore Posts: 2,870 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 30, 2020 6:25AM

    Well, then, I stand corrected.

    Makes sense to me.

    I had always assumed hand drawn seal=record copy of the original.

    Collector and dealer in obsolete currency. Always buying all obsolete bank notes and scrip.
  • berylberyl Posts: 131 ✭✭✭

    It's the equivalent of a postdated check...

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