Introducing the Clearwater Collection

Composed by our consignor over a period of several decades, the Clearwater Collection represents a significant assemblage of National Bank Notes on Bergen County, New Jersey. Many will be offered in our Spring 2026 Showcase Auction, where bidders will have the opportunity to consider notes from a number of charters that rarely ever appear at auction.

The Peoples National Bank of Hackensack (Charter# 7799), which has seen only a single auction appearance between 1982 and the present, is represented by a number of notes. One highlight is a sensational Replacement 1902 Red Seal $20 that represents the first $10-$10-$10-$20 format sheet issued by this bank.

Series of 1902 issues from the Closter National Bank (Charter# 8394) are major rarities regardless of type; when seen at auction this bank is usually represented by the Series of 1929. It has been almost 20 years since a Series of 1902 National on this institution has sold in a public setting. In our Spring auction, bidders will have an opportunity to purchase a Red Seal note which has never once publicly traded at auction.

These two pieces are impressive notes and major opportunities, but perhaps my favorite item from this Clearwater Collection presentation is a T2 $5 issued by the National Bank of Palisades Park (Charter# 14088). To some this institution may seem unremarkable, but it stands as one of a small number of “14,000 charters” organized during the 1930s amidst the Great Depression. Notes from banks that feature “14,xxx” charter numbers represent a popular collecting niche where strong demand drives premium realizations for rare banks like this which has just one note in the entire National Bank Note Census. Our estimate might appear conservative in retrospect.

For more information about our auctions or to consign your numismatic items, please call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].