The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport in Pennsylvania printed $5,084,100 dollars worth of national currency. Once a bank issues that much money there really isn’t much room for rare issues. However, there are certainly exceptions to every rule. This national bank opened in 1865 and stopped printing money in 1926, which equals a 62 year printing period. That is considering a long operation period for a national bank. During its life, The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport issued 16 different types and denominations of national currency. We have examples of the types listed below. Your bank note should look similar. Just the bank name will be different. For the record, The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport was located in Lycoming County. It was assigned charter number 1505.
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The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport in Pennsylvania issued 5,600 sheets of $5 original series national bank notes. Just because a print range is between 5,000 and 10,000 doesn’t mean that individual notes will be easy to buy. That number isn’t really high or low. Some notes are extremely rare and some could be from a hoard. Values are determined based on condition and the number of known survivors. Each five dollar original series bank note has a spiked red seal. That is pretty much the only design difference between it and later issues. These are really beautiful notes. One neat thing about these is that the back of each note has a vignette of the corresponding state seal. Some of the state seals are very imaginative. Collecting by state seal was very popular early on in the hobby. Today most collectors are more concerned about bank of issue and condition. Serial number one bank notes are also extremely popular.
Original Series $5 National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport printed 1,357 sheets of $10 original series national bank notes. A print range between 1,000 and 2,500 is small. Combine that with something that was printed before 1875 and you can imagine that these notes are few and far between. These notes were issued during the glory days of the national bank note era. Each $10 bill was pen signed by the president and cashier of the bank. Small towns and large cities both issued these notes. Of course the small town issuers tend to be scarcer today. Prices range from $500 to thousands of dollars (and more if the condition and rarity warrant it). Contact us if you need help valuing your bank note.
Original Series $10 National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 3,500 sheets of $5 series of 1875 national bank notes. Hundreds of banks had sheet outputs between 2,500 and 5,000. That is pretty typical for a medium sized national bank in the 1870s. Series of 1875 $5 bills are some of the most commonly encountered bank notes from the first charter series. Only the original series $1 bill is more available. Some banks exclusively issued five dollar bills. So if you want an example from one of those banks then you don’t have many options. These notes have a rounded red seal and red serial numbers. They also all have a red charter number.
Series of 1875 $5 National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 2,625 sheets of $10 series of 1875 national bank notes. Hundreds of banks had sheet outputs between 2,500 and 5,000. That is pretty typical for a medium sized national bank in the 1870s. The two vignettes seen on 1875 $10 bank notes are “Franklin and Electricity” and “America Seizing Lightning”. These notes occasionally confuse novices because the year 1752 is printed on them. That is when Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. It has nothing to do with when these bank notes were issued. The back of each $10 bill has “DeSoto Discovering the Mississippi.”
Series of 1875 $10 National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 6,834 sheets of $10 1882 brown back national bank notes. A print range between 5,000 and 10,000 suggests that there should be at least a couple of notes known to exist. There were three $10 bills printed on a single sheet of 1882 brown backs. The design of the bill is similar to all earlier ten dollar national bank notes. The nickname comes from the fact that these bills have a brown seal and brown overprint. Despite saying series of 1882, these were actually printed by some banks up until 1908. The date you see in cursive relates to when the bank first started issuing brown back notes.
Series of 1882 $10 Brown Back
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 6,834 sheets of $20 1882 brown back national bank notes. As you can see, the sheet output is the same for $20 brown backs as it is for $10 brown backs. There was only one $20 brown back printed on a sheet. So the sheet output also equals the total note output. One neat thing about all brown backs is that they each have a different back design based on which state issued them. The back left hand side of the note shows the state seal of which ever state the national bank was located in. Generally speaking, 1882 $20 brown backs are pretty difficult to locate. They typically were printed in small numbers and they don’t have a great survival rate.
Series of 1882 $20 Brown Back
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,961 sheets of $50 1882 brown back national bank notes. Not many banks printed $50 1882 brown backs. Sheet outputs aren’t extremely important. However, it is good factual information to know. The most common 1882 $50 brown backs are worth about $5,000. However, some can be worth more than $10,000 based on condition, serial number, and bank of issue.
Series of 1882 $50 Brown Back
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,961 sheets of $100 1882 brown back national bank notes. Just because this bank printed more than 1,000 one hundred dollar brown backs does not mean that they are all common. We are very interested in purchasing $100 1882 brown back national bank notes. We have paid more than $15,000 for some examples. Send us pictures of what you have and we will respond quickly with an appraisal and offer.
Series of 1882 $100 Brown Back
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 3,600 sheets of $10 1902 red seal national bank notes. That may sound like a high number. However, red seals did not survive in large numbers. It is likely still quite rare. Collectors love ten dollar 1902 red seals. They usually represent the rarest bank notes printed by any national bank. Don’t let the term “series of 1902” confuse you. These were actually printed for about six years between 1902 and 1908. That is obviously a very short issue period which means that many red seals are quite rare. Each note has a portrait of William McKinley. Be sure to check the number under McKinley. If it is #1 then you are dealing with a note from the first sheet of bank notes issued. Number one bank notes are worth even more money than the already rare red seals.
1902 $10 Red Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 3,600 sheets of $20 1902 red seal national bank notes. Twenty dollar red seal bank notes have poor survival rates. They don’t command premiums compared to the ten dollar denomination, but they are definitely rarer. All 1902 red seals were printed on four note sheets. There were three ten dollar bills and one twenty dollar bill per sheet. The 1902 $20 notes have a portrait of Hugh McCulloch on them. The charter number and seal are both printed in red ink. The serial numbers have a slight blue tint to them. The charter number is printed around the border of the note several times. The bank’s title is right in the middle of the note and the state of issue is printed just below the title. Remember that all national bank notes are valued based on their condition and rarity. The same rule applies to 1902 $20 red seals.
1902 $20 Red Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,200 sheets of $50 1902 red seal national bank notes. That is also the exact number of $50 red seals printed by this bank. Each sheet contained one $50 bill and one $100 bill. They are all extremely rare. The value for a generic circulated example is usually around $4,000. Most are worth more and some can be worth considerably more. John Sherman is pictured on each note. Otherwise it has the same markings you would expect to find on any 1902 red seal.
1902 $50 Red Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,200 sheets of $100 1902 red seal national bank notes. As we said above, all high denomination 1902 red seals are extremely rare. The number of notes printed really doesn’t matter to collectors. 1902 $100 red seals are rare to the point that they are always in demand. Of course the standard valuation rules still apply. Condition and bank of issue are of paramount importance. We have paid over $12,000 for some of the rarest specimens.
1902 $100 Red Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 67,715 sheets of $10 1902 blue seal national bank notes. Sadly, a printing range that high means that these blue seal bank notes from this bank are not going to be extremely rare. 1902 $10 blue seal bank notes all have a portrait of William McKinley on them. Values can range from as little as $40 up to over $10,000. There really is no trick to know what is rare and what is common by just doing an internet search. You really need to work with an expert (like us) in order to determine the value of your specific bank note. There are at least ten different factors than can make some 1902 $10 blue seals worth more than others. We know exactly what to look for and we would be happy to provide a free appraisal and our best offer.
1902 $10 Blue Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 67,715 sheets of $20 1902 blue seal national bank notes. The same rarity rules for 1902 $10 blue seals also apply to $20 blue seals. Just remember that $20 bills are by nature three times rarer (unfortunately they don’t command a premium over other denominations). Hugh McCulloch is pictured on the front of each bill. Contact us if you need pricing help.
1902 $20 Blue Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,142 sheets of $50 1902 blue seal national bank notes. There is no trick to knowing which 1902 blue seals will be common and rare. Often times the number printed won’t tell you much information. The value still comes down to condition and demand. That is a surprise to most people. In fact, most 1902 $50 bills we see are worth between $750 and $1,250. The rarer ones can be worth more than $5,000. However, there isn’t much middle ground.
1902 $50 Blue Seal National Bank Note
The West Branch National Bank Of Williamsport also printed 1,142 sheets of $100 1902 blue seal national bank notes. It is no coincidence that the sheet numbers for $50 bills and $100 bills are the same. They were printed on the same sheets. Most $100 blue seals are at least scarce; others can be very rare. John J Knox is printed on the front of each bill. Most collectors like the back design a lot more though. It is really unique and different from most other national bank notes. Prices for 1902 $100 blue seals are pretty similar to $50 blue seals. They are both equally common or equally rare, depending on how you look at it.
1902 $100 Blue Seal National Bank Note
