Better Know Your Notes Thanksgiving Edition

With the Thanksgiving holiday just a week away our latest "Better Know Your Notes" takes a look at a few Turkey Day appropriate American currency notes.

Tradition has it that the first Thanksgiving was held in fall of 1621 in the Plymouth Colony in present day Massachusetts. Attending were the Pilgrims and members of the local Wampanoag Tribe in celebration of the colony’s first successful harvest.

A late 1850s $1 Obsolete Banknote from the Bank of Florence, Nebraska (Haxby NE-40 G2a) features a central vignette that depicts an encounter between two Pilgrims and a Native American family. The note was produced by Toppan, Carpenter & Co. of New York and is encountered as remainders only.

Two First Charter National Banknote designs feature the Pilgrims. First Charter $50 Nationals depict a dramatic back vignette of the Embarking of the Pilgrims based on a mural by Robert W. Weir. The Pilgrims are gathered in prayer on the deck of the Mayflower before the start of their journey across the Atlantic. First Charter $1 National Banknotes have a back vignette engraved by Charles Burt which shows the landing of the Pilgrims on the banks of what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.

On behalf of Peter, Matt, DJ and myself we would like to wish a very safe and happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Among the many things we are thankful for is the opportunity to share this wonderful hobby with each and every one of you.