| Denomination: | National Gold Bank Note |
| Country: | United States Of America |
| Value: | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500 |
| Security Features: | None |
| Years Of Printing: | 1870 - 1875 |
| Obverse: | US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B (obverse only).jpg |
| Obverse Design: | Various |
| Obverse Design Date: | 1870s |
| Reverse: | US-NBN-CA-San Francisco-1741-1870-5-6758-B (reverse only).jpg |
| Reverse Design: | Ornamental with an array of United States gold coins |
| Reverse Design Date: | 1870s |
National Gold Bank Notes were National Bank Notes issued by nine national gold banks in California in the 1870s and 1880s and redeemable in gold. Printed on a yellow-tinted paper, six denominations circulated: $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $500.[1] A $1,000 note was designed and printed but never issued.[2] During the issuing period of national gold banks (1871–83), the U.S. Treasury issued 200,558 notes[3] totaling $3,465,240.[1] Today, National Gold Bank Notes are rare in the higher denominations (and unknown on some issuing banks) with condition generally falling in the good-to-fine range. Approximately 630 National Gold Bank Notes are known to exist, and roughly 20 grade above "very fine".[4]
The National Gold Bank Notes were authorized under the provisions of the Currency Act of July 12, 1870.[5] The series was a result of the California Gold Rush, where gold coins were preferred in commerce.[6] Ten national gold banks were charted, nine of them in California and one in Boston, Massachusetts.
The Kidder Bank was the only bank to have $1,000 notes among others prepared, however, no notes circulated from the bank.[7]
| Title | City< | --! scope="col" style="width:200px;" class="unsortable" | Image IN PROGRESS--> | Charter | Date[9] | Denominations | Total issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Kidder National Gold Bank | Boston | --> | 1699 | 15 Aug 1870 | 50, 100, 500, 1000[10] | $120,000[11] | |
| The First National Gold Bank | San Francisco | --> | 1741 | 30 Nov 1870 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 | $1,185,000 | |
| The National Gold Bank and Trust Company | San Francisco | --> | 1994 | 3 Jun 1872 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500[12] | $853,750 | |
| The National Gold Bank of D.O. Mills & Co. | Sacramento | --> | 2014 | 19 Jul 1872 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 | $270,450 | |
| The First National Gold Bank | Stockton | --> | 2077 | 27 Jan 1873 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 | $414,700 | |
| The First National Gold Bank | Santa Barbara | --> | 2104 | 7 May 1873 | 5, 10, 50, 100[13] | $80,000 | |
| The Farmers National Gold Bank | San Jose | --> | 2158 | 21 Jul 1874 | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 | $242,590 | |
| The First National Gold Bank | Petaluma | --> | 2193 | 25 Sep 1874 | 10, 20, 50, 100 | $178,150 | |
| The First National Gold Bank | Oakland | --> | 2248 | 10 Apr 1875 | 10, 20 | $80,600 | |
| The Union National Gold Bank | Oakland | --> | 2266 | 20 May 1875 | 10, 20, 50, 100 | $40,000 |
| Value | Image | Plate dates | Signatures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president)[14] | 427 reported | |
| $10 | 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Galen M. Fisher (cashier) and Benjamin F. Ferris (president)[15] | 117 reported | |
| $20 | 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president) | 71 reported | |
| $50 | 1870, 1874 | Edwin D. Morgan (cashier) and Ralph C. Woolworth (president) | 7 reported[16] | |
| $100 | 1870, 1873, 1874, 1875 | Henry H. Atwater (cashier) and Issac G. Wickersham (president)[17] | 9 reported[18] | |
| $500 | None known | 1870, 1872 | Unknown | |
| $1,000 | None known | 1870 | Not issued | |