By far one of the most exciting aspects of handling National Bank Notes regardless of series or denomination is the signatures of bank officials found on them. They are often penned or stamped, or engraved as with later issues from the 1920s. These signatures offer insight into the prominence of certain individuals in the affairs of the community or even in state and local politics.
One such signature caught my eye recently when describing a consignment to the Spring 2025 Showcase Auction. Attributable to the First National Bank of Salamanca (Charter# 2610) this note features the signature of Edward B. Vreeland as the bank’s president.
Vreeland held that position from 1891 through 1901 and part of that tenure overlapped with his service as a representative for New York’s 34th Congressional District. In Congress, Vreeland was important and influential, especially in matters pertaining to banking and currency.
In 1908 while serving as representative for New York’s 37th Congressional, Vreeland was among the key architects behind the Aldrich-Vreeland Act of 1908 which spawned the National Monetary Commission and allowed banks to issue “emergency currency” (Series of 1882/1902 Date Backs) backed by bonds and other securities in response to the Panic of 1907.
Vreeland’s tenure in Congress is certainly consequential to the overall history of National Bank Notes, on par with Senator John Sherman, who along with Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, effectively supplanted the loose patchwork of inefficient state and private banks with the National Bank Act of 1863.
Notes with this historical signature are seldom offered at auction and our upcoming sale offers an opportunity for the collector who enjoys this more esoteric aspect of collecting National Bank Notes. It has been more than 15 years since a note with Vreeland’s signature has been offered at auction.
This item is lot 21205 in the Spring 2025 Showcase Auction and will cross the block on April 3. The entire sale is available for viewing and presale bidding at StacksBowers.com. For more information about our auctions or to consign your numismatic items, please call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].
