A note with something special...Can you figure it out?

MaineMoneyMan

WARNING: This may require the use of reference materials and some research. If you do not have those things, it may be difficult.
Here is a $2 Canal Bank, Portland, ME dated 1835. There is something a bit special about this note.
Can anyone figure out what that may be?
This is not meant to be stressful. Just a bit of fun for the astute obsolete collector those who like to do a bit of digging

sellitstore

This is the earliest issue of the bank and $2 notes were previously unknown. The same series $1 (without the ends) is illustrated in the references. They were made in two varieties-without printed back and with a Congreve Plate back. Does this have a Congreve back? They were used on several New England Banks.

The cashier signature matches the known $1 but the President is different. Not that unusual for a design issued over a period of years.

MaineMoneyMan

That didn’t last long:)
I’m impressed, but not surprised. I figured you would recognize the possibility.
It does indeed have the Congreve back. A pretty rare thing for a Maine note. I looked and it might possibly be the only Maine note with the green Congreve back.

DoctorPaper

@MaineMoneyMan :
Another thing I noticed, at a much more basic level, was the reverse ‘Lean’ of the script on the face of the note. This pattern is typical lefty penmanship, not frequently seen on official documents because lefties tended to smear the still wet ink as their hand moved across the page. Scrivener or Secretary was not a popular occupation for lefties of that era.

MaineMoneyMan

@DoctorPaper said:
@MaineMoneyMan :
Another thing I noticed, at a much more basic level, was the reverse ‘Lean’ of the script on the face of the note. This pattern is typical lefty penmanship, not frequently seen on official documents because lefties tended to smear the still wet ink as their hand moved across the page. Scrivener or Secretary was not a popular occupation for lefties of that era.

I am not picking up the reverse lean, do you mean the cashier? I’m not a handwriting expert though, so I don’t know what to look for. I do like that diagnosis though. Please educate us. Happy to learn. I want to look at my other notes now!

sellitstore

Sorry for the quick answer but I thought that I was missing something else. Kinda tricky to not have the answer visible in the photo but you DID say that it might require references. And I did consult the two references that list this note and the one that doesn't, seeing that it was produced with and without the back.

Now the left handed information that @DoctorPaper provided is interesting and makes good sense. But it looks to me that all of the written portions of the note lean right. The Cashier and President signatures look like they could be from the same hand, which made me a bit suspicious, but I'm pretty sure that this is coincidental and the note is genuine and properly issued.

MaineMoneyMan

No need to be sorry on the quick response!
It was definitely a tricky question.
Although it doesn’t look like much, it’s one of my favorite notes.

DoctorPaper

@sellitstore:
I was referring to the black script that starts, “The President Directors and Company….” In middle of the note. Not sure if it is handwritten or printed.

MaineMoneyMan

@DoctorPaper said:
@sellitstore:
I was referring to the black script that starts, “The President Directors and Company….” In middle of the note. Not sure if it is handwritten or printed.

Ah yes. That is printed on the note, not handwritten.