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

There was one Arkansas note in Session 1 of the CSNS auction on Heritage today, and I managed to get it. Tomorrow's session 2 will be very exciting for me - two Arkansas National Bank notes will be auctioned. One is merely scarce, while the other is a significant Arkansas NBN rarity. I'll be targeting them both, but if the 2nd note goes for what I think it may, I will likely be an underbidder...

This is a $2 note from Berryville, Arkansas, a town in northwest Arkansas a few miles east of the wonderful and quirky town of Eureka Springs. Berryville was founded in 1850 by Blackburn Henderson Berry, an early settler, whose son James later served as a governor for the state before being elected to the U.S. Senate.

This note is unlisted in Rothert, and PMG listed the issuer as unknown. It appears from the signature the issuer was J.G. Gullett & Wormington, but while those names show up in some newspaper and census records there doesn't seem to be any record of a business with that name. I'll be doing a lot more digging on this one!

Thanks, jbuck!

Here is one of my acquisitions from the Heritage CSNS auction today. The First National Bank of Marked Tree, Arkansas, was chartered on December 28, 1917, and entered receivership on November 30, 1926. The bank issued 1902 Plain Back notes in denominations of $10 and $20. There are four $20 notes in the census, and this example is one of seven $10 notes listed.

This note was signed by assistant cashier Ruby Hasting and president C.A. Worthy.

Marked Tree is in northeast Arkansas, roughly midway between Jonesboro and Memphis on the former highway US-63 (now I-555). It got its unusual name from a tree located until around 1890 along the St. Francis River. The tree had been blazed - according to different accounts, either by Native Americans or by an outlaw gang - to mark a section of the river from where it was just a short walk to reach the Little River.

Some of my father's family lived in the area for many decades, and he was born in the town of Bay, about 20 miles from Marked Tree. One of my great-grandmothers had the birth name of Hasting and died in Bay in 1934, but I've not been able to find any genealogical link to the assistant cashier who signed this note.

Thanks, jbuck!

Here is my other CSNS auction win from yesterday. The First National Bank of Lawrence County at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas was chartered in 1919 as The First National Bank of Black Rock. In 1933 it was moved to Walnut Ridge, about 10 miles away, and renamed. It was one of three issuing charters in Walnut Ridge. The bank is still in existence today, though the name was changed to The FNB of Commerce in 2024.

There were unfortunately no notes issued under the first title, but under the 2nd title 1929 Type 2 notes were issued in denominations of $5 through $100. There were only 2415 notes issued in total, with just 72 of those being $100 notes.
Signatures of Jacob E. Krone as cashier (though he's listed as vice president in the Rand McNally Bankers Directory), and president Jay Hamilton Myers.

I was born in Walnut Ridge, and Black Rock was home to much of my mom's family for generations. However, that's only a small part of the reason this particular note was at the top of my "dream list" of Arkansas nationals.

No banks in the state of Arkansas issued 1929 Type 1 $50 or $100 notes. This is the only bank in the state which issued 1929 Type 2 $50 and $100 notes, and there is just one example of each in the census. The $50 note was last sold at auction in 2007. This $100 note last came up for sale in 2018, also on Heritage, and I was an underbidder at that time.

The other denominations from this charter are also rare - there is a single $5 and two $10 notes in the census, with no $20 notes listed. I'm fortunate to also have one of the $10 notes in my collection.

I'm more than thrilled to have acquired this note to add to my collection!

Great this $2 found a good home!


Really cool name for a town/settlement. Great that there's a family connection to your horse-blanket too! I like the chartered #11122


Wow! That's like plucking "a needle" from the proverbial "haystack" of $100 notes @hokie_fan82! Congrats on the 3 CSNS auction wins!

Here's a 50 cents Des Arc note to go with the 25 cents and $1 notes from the same issuer I've shared recently. This is a plate B note, very similar in design to the 25 cents note other than the color of the paper. The $1 note was plate A with very minor design differences, mainly in the frame lines at the top and bottom and the lettering style at the top of the note.

This note is a bit rough with a large hinge-repaired split noted on the holder. What is curiously not noted is the fact that about half of the vignette to the left has been trimmed away at some point. The full vignette of the train can be seen on my earlier-posted notes.

Thanks, jbuck!

A survivor! Very nice!

very nice notes Hoki!