National Bank Of Commerce In Saint Louis, Missouri #4178

If you've been reading the posts about national banknotes you may get the impression that I have an aversion to big cities and the national banks from there---these large banks have many notes reported and a myriad of ways to collect them.

The National Bank of Commerce in Saint Louis was chartered in December 1889 and held $50,000 in bonds to back their circulation.

The first type printed for the bank was Series 1882 Brown Backs in the $10, $20, $50 and $100 denominations. (Footnote 1)

In 1896, the bank ordered and issued Series 1882 Brown Back $5's. With over 100 notes in the Kelly census, there are plenty that finding one is not a multi-year waiting game. Add a little pizzazz and look for a higher plate position letter than the often seen ones.

Brown Back $10's and $20's are the last of the affordable, available types. The $20's are fewer in number overall so finding one could take longer.

This bank also issued Brown Back Fifties and Hundreds however the number of sheets was tiny at 260. None listed in the last Kelly census CD.

Series 1882 Date Back fives, tens, twenties, fifties and hundreds were printed and issued by the bank. The printing plates were altered to add the words "or other securities" on the face due to a law that was passed in 1908. There are far fewer notes reported of this type--one will have to settle for a five or ten dollar as these are the most available. Lyn Knight sold a Series 1882 $20 Date Back for approximately $750 in 2013.

Which brings us to the Series 1902 notes. The bank's charter was up for extension in 1909. With the corporate life extended, new plates were needed this being Series 1902.

Date Back fives and tens from Series 1902 are fewer in number compared to the Plain Backs yet it makes little difference price wise. 50's and 100's were also printed and are reported in the census. The high face value and small surviving population will likely prevent most from obtaining either of these denominations.

The printing presses were running full steam for Plain Back production. Take your pick as there are over 400 notes reported and likely more that haven't. Plate position letters come in two formats: double letters (AA with the second letter slightly smaller than the first) or with a tiny number after the first letter (they are 3, 4 or 5).

There are no small size notes with the National Bank of Commerce in Saint Louis title rather these carry the Mercantile-Commerce National Bank in Saint Louis nomenclature. Type 1 and Type 2 fives, tens and twenties are listed in the census.

This wraps up another of these lengthy posts about nationals. Maybe this will inspire you to look at these big city banks with more than a passing glance--they too can interesting to collect.

-MV


Footnote 1: Thanks to the Smithsonian digitizing the proof sheets. It was a breeze to look at the BEP certification dates which showed that the 10-10-10-20 sheet was certified on January 9, 1890 and the 50-100 sheet was certified two days before on January 7th.