Catalog
| Issuer | Bank in St. Gallen |
|---|---|
| Year | 1838 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Die Bank in St. Gallen zahlt dem Ueberbringer gegen diese Anweisung FÜNFZIG GULDEN im Vier und Zwig... zu Fkfs. St. Gallen den Caßi... Prot... FÜNFZIG 50 |
| Reverse description | No reverse image is available for this note; the reverse details cannot be described. |
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| Comments |
The Bank in St. Gallen was one of several cantonal and private note-issuing institutions operating in Switzerland before the Federal Banking Act of 1881 consolidated authority over paper currency. In 1838, Switzerland had no unified monetary system — dozens of banks issued their own notes, accepted at varying discounts depending on the issuer's reputation and how far from home the note traveled.
St. Gallen's commercial ties to the textile trade gave its bank notes reasonable regional credibility, but a 50 Gulden denomination was serious money and would rarely have changed hands casually. Notes of this value from small private issuers of this period rarely survived in any quantity.