Hokiefan's Collection Of Arkansas Obsoletes, Scrip And National Bank Notes

-That's a real cool note (makes one scratch one's head & ponder if there was a bit of protest involved in its production).

Great examples & I appreciate all the history you've described behind each note. Very impressive @hokiefan_82

I found this new acquisition quite interesting. It's a $2 note issued by H.K. Abernathy in Searcy, Arkansas. However, I'm a bit suspicious of the interpretation of the issuer name, as the signatures on all the notes I've seen are a bit difficult to make out, and I've not found any references to an H.K. Abernathy in other historical records. Rothert lists several notes by this issuer, including a $1 note identical to this one but for the denomination, but this $2 note is not listed in his reference.

Searcy is located about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock along I-57 (formerly US-67). It's been the county seat of White County since the county's inception in 1835, and has steadily grown in population over the decades to an estimated 24,000 in 2024. The town was formerly incorporated in 1851.

I have only found two past sales of this issue, and they are both for this exact note. It was sold raw in 2010 on Heritage, listed as XF/AU, and it was mentioned it was one of six Searcy notes which were consigned from the estate of a family of a CSA soldier who enlisted in Arkansas. Then, this note sold again on Heritage in 2019 in a PMG holder with a VF35 grade. It has since been removed from the holder, and I just purchased it raw. It'll soon be back in a PMG holder, however...

I like the design and the vignettes, and the abbreviation "DOLLS." for dollars is a bit unusual.

The printer, 'J.D. Butler, printer for the State "at large"', is also the printer of a number of other Arkansas issues, including the Arkansas Treasury Warrants issued by the state.

Thanks, scopru!

Thank you, jbuck!

Thanks, Dearborn!

Very nice!

Great looking example!

I just picked up this note from Wesley, Arkansas, issued by Elijah Drake. Wesley is a small unincorporated community of about 160 people in northwest Arkansas, about 15 miles east of Fayetteville. The town was platted in 1872, though a post office was located there since around the 1850's. Wesley was the last name of the first postmaster there.

The Drake family were early settlers in the area, arriving around 1830 from Tennessee (Elijah was born around 1813). This note is unlisted in Rothert; he has a 75 cent note listed from this issuer and mentions that other denominations were likely issued.

I find the ruled paper used to print this on quite interesting; it looks like it was printed on a page that came from an old ledger of some sort. I can't quite make out the vignette on the left of the note; it's possibly a paddle-wheel steam boat, but I'm not at all sure.