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20 Dollars Central Bank of Virginia
| Issuer | Central Bank of Virginia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1853 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is executed in fine intaglio engraving by Carpenter, Casilear & Co. of Philadelphia and New York. At left, a seated allegorical figure of Justice holds a balance scale; upper centre presents a vignette of a kneeling female harvester with cattle in a pastoral landscape, flanked by a standing armoured figure at upper left and a steam locomotive vignette at lower right. The denomination numeral "20" appears in ornate guilloche cartouches at both upper corners, with the bold central legend "CENTRAL BANK OF VIRGINIA / TWENTY DOLLARS" and the arc inscription "SECURED BY PLEDGE OF STATE SECURITIES" at top centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE CENTRAL BANK OF VIRGINIA Will pay TWENTY DOLLARS to Bearer on demand. STAUNTON ______ 185_ SECURED BY PLEDGE OF STATE SECURITIES 20 Cash.r Treasurer Carpenter, Casilear & Co. Phila. & New York |
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| Comments |
Carpenter, Casilear & Co. operated briefly as a security printing partnership before its principals — including John W. Casilear, the engraver trained under Asher B. Durand — were absorbed into the American Bank Note Company upon its 1858 consolidation of the major New York and Philadelphia firms. Notes produced under the Carpenter, Casilear imprint therefore have a narrow issuance window, which helps date surviving examples with some confidence.
The Central Bank of Virginia was a Staunton-chartered institution, one of several Virginia state banks whose antebellum paper was rendered worthless by the Civil War. Notes from 1853 predating secession by nearly a decade but circulating into a period of profound monetary disruption are frequently found with condition issues tied to heavy wartime use.