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

Cool!

I got a new batch of merchant scrip I'll be sharing before too long, but thought I'd make one more comment about reused or copied vignettes. I happened to be looking at some Eastman College Bank notes (I find these college notes interesting, though not something I collect). I saw a couple vignettes that looked familiar and thought I'd share.

The first is a note from The Eastman College Bank with a vignette almost identical to one on a Camden, Arkansas note. The Camden note was printed by Hatch & Co. in New York City. This was a prominent printer and lithographer which was one of the companies which merged and formed the American Bank Note Company. While the college note has no printers imprint, some of those were printed by Hatch as well. There are minor differences between the two vignettes but the hair, face and the tiara are the same. I think this is a case where a vignette was simply re-used by the same printer.


The next example I find curious. This is again a note from Eastman College Bank but compared to a note from Peters Landing, Arkansas. In this case, the Eastman note was printed by The Hatch Lithographic Company in New York City, which seems to be another name used by Hatch & Co., and the Peters Landing note was printed by Corlies, Macy & Co Stationers, also in New York City. Note the vignette in the lower right of each note. There are definitely close similarities between the two, but the one on the Peter's Landing note is much more crudely done. I suspect (on the purely circumstantial evidence) this is a case where a vignette was simply copied. Or, it could be both were based on the same image from elsewhere...

These 4 examples really demonstrate the recycling of vignettes!

Here's a batch of Arkansas merchant scrip I just received.

First, a $2 note from S.N. Karnes in Berryville. Berryville, founded in 1850 in northwest Arkansas, is one of the two county seats (along with Eureka Springs) in Carroll County. This note and merchant are unlisted in Rothert.


This is a $1 note from Barnette & Devine in Clarksville. Clarksville, established in 1836, is about 100 miles northwest of Little Rock on I-40 on the north side of the Arkansas River. Rothert lists a very similar 50 cent note from this merchant, but this one is unlisted.


This is a $1 note from R.R. Newell in Fayetteville, Rothert 200-3. Note that Fayetteville is misspelled, as it is on all notes from this issuer. An interesting thing I've not seen on any other Arkansas merchant scrip is the paper appears to be embossed. Another interesting thing is this was also payable in Missouri State Defense Bonds.


Another Fayetteville note, a 25 cent note from W.A. Watson. Rothert lists 50 cent and $1 notes from this issuer, but this denomination is unlisted. The date and serial number are either faded away or were not filled in.


This is a $1 note from J.C. Smith in Huntsville. Huntsville, named after the city in Alabama where many of the early settlers arrived from, is the seat of Madison County in northwest Arkansas. Rothert lists a very similar $2.50 note (though printed on brown paper), but this denomination is unlisted.


This is a 75 cent note from C.C. Danley in Little Rock, Rothert 411-2. I have recently shared another example of this same note, but with a different issue date. This one is the Rothert plate note.


This is a 50 cent note, Rothert 597-2, from H.K. Abernathy in Searcy. Searcy is a city about 50 miles northeast of Little Rock on I-57. This note is the Rothert plate note.


This is a 75 cent note from Hinkle & Sons in Springfield. Springfield is a tiny unincorporated community about 50 miles north of Little Rock. Rothert lists almost identical 25 and 50 cent notes from this issuer, but this denomination is unlisted.


This is a $1 note, Rothert 671-2, from James Patterson in Waldron. I've previously shared 25 and 50 cents notes from this same issuer.


Finally, a 50 cent note from Elijah Drake in Wesley. I've previously shared a very similar $2 note from the same issuer, also printed on lined paper. While Rothert lists one note from this issuer, this and my other one are both unlisted.

Thanks, jbuck!

Nice examples and thank you for sharing the background information!

Here are a couple of new additions. The first is a 50 cent note from M. Rose, Son and Carey in Clarksville, Arkansas. Moreau Rose's store was one of the first brick buildings built in Clarksville, built in the 1850's. This note is Rothert 122-3, and though it looks a bit strange I believe the written date is Jan. 15, 1862, which was when his first scrip was issued (later issues had completely printed dates). Another interesting thing is the small vignette at the top - it's the same vignette as I've shared recently from a couple other issues of a dog with a key by a safe or strongbox.


The next note, while very tattered, was one I was very happy to acquire. It was issued by the Arkadelphia Exchange of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Arkadelphia is the county seat of Clark County and is located along I-30 between Texarkana and Little Rock. It is situated along the bank of the Ouachita River and was known as Blakelytown (after Adam Blakely established a blacksmith shop there in 1809) until the 1830's when the name was changed to Arkadelphia.
Banks had been outlawed in Arkansas in 1846, and exchange companies were organized in a few towns to serve as substitutes by issuing scrip.
This 50 cent note, Rothert 11-3, features a likeness of a Seated Liberty half dollar, which is the reason I find it so unusual. I've not seen any other Arkansas scrip featuring an image of a coin like this.