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25 Cents Northborough Bank
| Issuer | Northborough Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | FERD. MAYER & CO. LITHOG 96 FULTON ST. NEW YORK No. *serial number* NORTHBOROUGH BANK Pay to the bearer TWENTY FIVE CENTS in current Bank Bills when presented in sums of one Dollar and upwards To the Cashier MARLBOROUGH, Mass. Nov 1st, 1862 Bigelow, Morse, & Co |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, plain paper with no vignettes, text, or ornamentation, consistent with the utilitarian production of Civil War-era local scrip. |
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| Comments |
Northborough Bank was a Massachusetts institution operating under the state's free banking framework, and fractional notes like this 25-cent piece were a practical response to the severe coin hoarding that swept New England in the early Civil War years. Silver disappeared from circulation almost overnight after 1861 as citizens anticipated currency instability, leaving merchants and small businesses scrambling for any workable substitute.
Ferd. Mayer & Co. handled a substantial volume of similar small-denomination scrip for regional banks during this period. The firm later reorganized and became better known under successive partnerships, but its 1862 output represents some of the more competently executed private bank printing from wartime New York.