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5 Dollars The Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank
| Issuer | Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank, Savannah, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1860 |
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| Currency | Dollar |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in black with a red underprint and displays a symmetrical layout with two portrait vignettes flanking a central arch: at left, a young girl in a white dress, and at right, a young boy in period attire. The central vignette presents a standing classical female figure — likely an allegorical representation of Georgia or Agriculture — set within an arched frame. Large red numeral '5' counters appear on either side of the central vignette, and rosette medallions bearing the Roman numeral 'V' are positioned in the lower left and right quadrants. The bank title 'FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK' arcs across the top in bold lettering, with 'GEORGIA' inscribed at the bottom centre, and the imprint of the American Bank Note Company appears at the lower corners. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE FARMERS AND MECHANICS BANK Will pay to Bearer FIVE DOLLARS ON DEMAND Savannah, June 1st, 1860 FIVE GEORGIA |
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| Comments |
The Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank of Savannah operated under a Georgia state charter and was among the Southern institutions that continued issuing notes printed by the American Bank Note Company in New York right up to the secession crisis — a geographical irony that went unresolved until war made the relationship impossible. ABNC's Atlanta and Southern business evaporated almost entirely by 1861 as Confederate printers scrambled to fill the gap.
Georgia state law at the time required specie redemption on demand, but enforcement was inconsistent, and most Savannah banks suspended specie payments during the panic of 1857. Whether this bank fully resumed by 1860 is not clearly documented.