Catalog
3 Dollars Washington County Bank - Maine
| Issuer | Washington County Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1834 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette presents an allegorical composition with a female figure surrounded by various tools and the American eagle crest, set against a panoramic background incorporating a locomotive, a covered wagon, buildings, and sailing vessels in a harbor. To the left of the central vignette stands a skep beehive symbolizing industry, while to the right farmers are engaged in the harvest. Denomination numerals "3" appear in each corner, with the bank title and promise-to-pay text in letterpress across the face. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THREE The President, Directors 3 THREE THREE & Company of THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BANK promise to pay THREE DOLLARS to or bearer on demand CALAIS May 1 1834 THREE ______________Cash.ʳ ______________Pres.ᵗ 3 THREE STATE OF MAINE NEW ENGLAND BANK NOTE CO. BOSTON |
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| Comments |
Washington County Bank operated out of Calais, Maine — a border town whose economy ran almost entirely on the timber trade with New Brunswick. In the early 1830s, the St. Croix River crossing meant Canadian currency circulated alongside American notes with little friction, and local banks issued paper partly to push back against that informality with something bearing a proper institutional name.
The New England Bank Note Company was among Boston's more reliable early note printers, predating the consolidation that would eventually produce the American Bank Note Company. Their work from this period is technically competent but shows the limitations of the era's transfer engraving methods.
The $3 denomination was common in Maine state banking precisely because it converted cleanly against Spanish milled dollars still in regional use.