Catalog
50 Francs
| Issuer | Bank in St. Gallen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1852 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | At the left margin, an allegorical vignette of Justice holding a sword and scales; at centre, a steam locomotive vignette conveying themes of commerce and modernity; at the right, a standing female figure bearing a sheaf of wheat. The promise-to-pay text is rendered in German script across the central panel, with the issuer designation and the printer's imprint of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. along the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | FRANKEN 50 Die Bank in Sᵗ. Gallen zahlt dem Ueberbringer gegen diese anweisung Fünfzig Franken neüe. Schweizer Währung. St. Gallen, den, _ 18 _ Cassʳ. Presᵗ. Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. New York & Phila. |
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| Comments |
The Bank in St. Gallen was one of several Swiss cantonal banks that turned to American security printers in the early 1850s rather than European houses — a commercially driven choice that reflected Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.'s strong reputation for anti-counterfeiting engraving work, built largely through U.S. banknote contracts. The firm would later merge into the American Bank Note Company in 1858.
Switzerland had no federal currency in 1852; the note-issuing free banking period meant dozens of cantonal and private banks circulated their own paper simultaneously, creating chronic discount and acceptance problems across cantonal borders. A St. Gallen note was not necessarily accepted at face value in Zurich.