1860-1861 $5 Sanford Bank Maine Currency Note VF

Pre-National Currency From 1861

Can you believe there was a time in American history when there was no national paper currency? That was the case in the 1860s up until the end of the Civil War when the government took over and standardized currency nationwide. Prior to the end of the Civil War, each state and city printed its own currency which was no good in other regions—such as these $5 notes issued between 1860 and 1861 by the Sanford Bank in Maine. The Sanford Bank, formerly the Mousum River Bank, was in operation from 1857 to 1861 and was run by the Emery family.

About The Emery Family

The first member of the Emery family to settle in Sanford, Maine was Caleb Emery, who arrived there in 1773. Caleb quickly established himself as a man of importance. He was Sanford's first postmaster as well as a merchant, tavern-keeper, justice of the peace, colonel of the militia during the American Revolution, and deacon of the church. He was on all committees of importance, and the growing village never did anything without asking "The Colonel" to be part of it. He also had his hand in politics, serving as a selectman, town clerk, deputy sheriff, and was the first representative of his district sent to the General Court in 1785. The historic Emery Homestead located on Lebanon Street in Sanford is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Construction on the New England farmstead was started by Caleb's son, William Jr., in 1830. The Emerys and their descendants have a continuous history of civic involvement that includes the establishment of a scholarship fund for local high school students, and an endowment for the library at nearby Nasson College.

Historic And Vintage Civil War-Era Obsolete Notes

This note measures 6.875" x 3.75" and is about 60% larger than today's notes that measure 6.14" x 2.61". They became "obsolete" after the Federal government standardized currency after the Civil War. The central vignette is a very early Americana scene of a man sitting on a tree stump while another man is using an axe to chop down a tree. In the background is a bridge and a boy pulling some horses. Each one of these historic and vintage notes also comes in nice Very Fine (VF) condition, but HURRY to get yours because they're from a small cache of only 20 notes and when they're gone that's it!