Georgia obsolete discovery?

gsalex

I'm reposting this image for a friend on another forum. This obsolete note is from the Manufacturers and Mechanics Bank of Columbus, Georgia. Not a tough bank as obsoletes go, but this is a $20. Smaller denominations are easily found in dealers stock and on ebay. And Heritage has sold a $100 from this bank (in better condition) in the $1,400 range. But not one $20 in sight.

Can anyone post any information about this note, in terms of rarity and value guestimate?

techwriter

Could not find in Haxby. I'm wondering if this is a spurious note or ??

Would help if you could post a sharper image.

Or if you could post:

1. what is printed between bank title and TWENTY DOLLARS, cannot make it out

2. the printing company

3. the signatures on the note

4. the date appearing on the note



Thanks

gsalex

The date is 1855. If we can get a better image I'll post it here.

NewEnglandNotes

From the Whitman/Bowers Encyclopedia, Vol 6

techwriter

My new Bowers (vol 6) came today.

Berny

It is listed in Haxby as GA-120-G22a but SENC (Surviving Example Not Confirmed). As the Bower's book and your note indicate, there are at least two confirmed examples.

gsalex

Does it seem odd that they would assign it a URS-7 (33 to 64 known examples) and yet the best note they could find as an illustration has some serious damage?

sellitstore

The whole group from this bank photographed in the Bowers catalog may have been from a single collection and the editors didn't want to try to locate a better example. This happens in Haxby, too, where some beat up examples are photographed where there are multiple better ones available. It shouldn't and probably doesn't happen very often in either book.

What surprises me more is that it has gone from none known to 33-64 known. The later number could be high and I'd guess 15-25 known but I know Northern obsolete populations note better than Southern ones.