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5 Dollars Citizens' Bank of Louisiana, New-Orleans, Bilingual
| Issuer | Citizens' Bank of Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857-1899 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 186 × 81 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CITIZENS' BANK OF LOUISIANA Will Pay to bearer on demand FIVE DOLLARS NEW-ORLEANS. FIVE CINQ CASHIER. Patented 30 June 1857. PRESIDENT. American Bank Note Company. |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in orange-red on plain paper, dominated by a large central lozenge-shaped guilloche panel bearing the bold block-letter word 'FIVE' in ornate outlined lettering against a fine lathe-work background. Two rosette numeral '5' medallions flank the central panel on either side, and the French-language legend arches across the top, with the place of issue inscribed below the central panel. |
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| Comments |
The Citizens' Bank of Louisiana was chartered in 1833 as a mortgage bank, capitalised by a bond issue backed by the State of Louisiana — an unusual structure that tied its note-issuing power directly to plantation property collateral. By the 1850s it was one of the largest banks in the American South, and its notes circulated widely enough to warrant bilingual text in both English and French, reflecting New Orleans' genuinely francophone commercial culture rather than any decorative affectation.
The long date range reflects the bank's survival through the Civil War and Reconstruction, though its post-1865 operations were a shadow of the antebellum institution. Notes from the later portion of the issue range are considerably scarcer in circulation grades, as the bank's commercial reach had contracted sharply by then.