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5 Dollars Central Bank of Tennessee
| Issuer | Central Bank of Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Year | 1855 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse description | The upper portion of the obverse carries an intaglio-printed pastoral vignette at left showing a man and child in a rural landscape, with a second agricultural scene at center background. An oval portrait vignette at upper right contains a bust-length engraving of an unidentified gentleman. A classical female figure on horseback occupies the lower right corner, while a lathe-work numeral '5' counter appears at lower left within a guilloche rosette. The bold letterpress legend 'THE CENTRAL BANK OF TENNESSEE' is set in the center field above the promise-to-pay text, which is overprinted in red with a large denomination underprint reading 'FIVE DOLLARS'. Two manuscript signatures appear at the bottom margin, attributed respectively to the Cashier and the President. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | TENNESSEE THE CENTRAL BANK OF TENNESSEE Will pay FIVE DOLLARS on demand to the bearer of____________ NASHVILLE |
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| Comments |
The Central Bank of Tennessee was a short-lived state-chartered institution, and by 1855 it was operating in a Tennessee banking environment still dominated by the Bank of Tennessee and the Union Bank — both of which had survived the wave of failures that swept through Southern state banks in the 1840s. Notes of the smaller chartered banks from this period circulated at discounts that varied wildly depending on distance from the issuing branch, a practical problem that fueled demand for published "bank note reporters" among merchants throughout the antebellum South.
Tennessee's free banking law of 1852 reshaped which institutions could legally emit currency, and notes printed in this transitional window are worth examining for their bond-deposit backing details.