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1 Dollar Mechanics Bank of Augusta - Georgia
| Issuer | Mechanics Bank of Augusta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | At left, an engraved portrait vignette of George Washington faces right; at upper centre, an eagle perched on a tree branch is set against a background vignette of a locomotive crossing a bridge; at lower centre, a vignette of a man's right arm swinging a hammer over an anvil evokes the bank's mercantile identity. The note is printed in black letterpress on plain cotton paper with hand-written date and signature lines. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, left entirely blank on plain cotton paper. |
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| Comments |
The Mechanics Bank of Augusta was one of several Georgia state-chartered banks operating under the 1838 Free Banking framework, which loosened incorporation requirements but still demanded specie reserves — a condition Southern banks routinely stretched. By 1858, Augusta's position as a major cotton market made its commercial paper widely accepted across the region, though this also meant notes circulated far from home and often returned in worn condition.
The printer attribution is worth scrutiny. Danforth, Underwood & Co. operated under that specific name only between 1839 and 1843, suggesting this plate was either engraved significantly earlier than the 1858 issue date or the firm name in the margin was retained from an older master plate reused by a successor firm.