An exceptional group of early American banknotes will be featured in our forthcoming auction, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire examples of the much-coveted “obsolete” currency issued by state-chartered banks and Southern states during the mid-19th century.
Before the establishment of a centralised currency system in the United States, hundreds of local banks issued their own paper money. Known today as Obsolete Banknotes, these issues were often beautifully engraved by leading firms such as the American Bank Note Company, incorporating allegorical figures, portraits, ships, and agricultural scenes.
The selection to be offered includes pieces from the Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana (New Orleans), the Bank of New England at Goodspeed’s Landing, East Haddam, Connecticut, the New England Commercial Bank of Rhode Island, and a finely preserved fractional note from the State of Alabama and is just part of a much larger collection of over 2000 rare and collectable banknotes most of which are mint and uncirculated condition.
For collectors of American financial history, these banknotes represent more than just currency—they are miniature works of art and tangible pieces of a formative period in U.S. banking.
For more information please see our website at www.wincantonauctions.com The Full catalogue will be available to view online from Tuesday 2nd September and from easyliveAuction.com
The auction will take place on Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th September 2025 starting at 11am. Viewing days are on Friday 11th, Saturday 12th and Monday 14th September from 10am to 4pm and on the morning of the sale with bidding both in person in the room and live online.
