Notes from Washington: The Discovery of An Unrecorded Series of 1882 Date Back Rosecrans-Hyatt Signature Variety
An uncatalogued Treasury variety from the certified proofs of the BEP was found at the Smithsonian Institution.
A hitherto unknown and thus uncatalogued Treasury signature variety from the certified proofs of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) was found in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. The new find reveals a group of “Series of 1882” date-back notes bearing Rosecrans-Hyatt Treasury signatures.
These represent the earliest Treasury signatures to appear on “Series of 1882” date-backs. Their occurrence was discovered by Jacob Williamson, who worked as a verifier for PMG in 2024 and is currently compiling a census of nationals by Friedberg number.
Jacob obtained the listing of BEP proofs, available on the Society of Paper Money Collectors website, from me in order to determine the various banks that issued the scarce Friedberg numbers. The new finds emerged as he sorted the 45,321 entries by series, type, and Treasury signature combination.
Eight plates were made for five banks with the combination. Sheets were issued from seven of the plates to four of the banks as listed on Table 1.
Although the 1882 date-backs were printed for the First National Bank of Albion, Nebraska, none were issued. The existing stock of brownbacks on hand at the Comptroller of the Currency’s office lasted until the bank was extended.
Get a load of those issued sheet totals; all are minuscule. This is the primary reason the variety has remained numismatically unknown. No survivors from any of these tiny emissions have been reported. Because no one knew of one, they went under the radar of all past cataloguers!
Jacob’s find will add three numbers to the Friedberg catalog as well as to the number systems in the competing catalogs. Of course, such additions are welcome. They give collectors three more varieties to seek. As for signature combo type collectors, they get heartburn worrying that they will likely never acquire such a note.
A good question is, how did these varieties come about in the first place?
Rosecrans-Hyatt signature combination
The Rosecrans-Hyatt signature combination is the earliest possible combination to be used on “Series of 1882” date backs. The combination was current between May 24, 1887, and May 10, 1889. In order to appear on a “Series of 1882” date back, the issuing bank had to be in business from July 1, 1908–May 10, 1909.
On July 1, 1908, the Aldrich-Vreeland Emergency Currency Act was passed, which authorized the issuance of date back currency. The face plates for the remaining “Series of 1882” issuers were altered to carry the “or other securities” clause in the securities statement.
Printings from those plates were paired with new date-back variety backs in subsequent printings. The banks then began to receive shipments of them after their existing “Series of 1882” brown back stocks at the Comptroller’s office ran out.
The minuscule emissions from the variety by the eligible banks resulted from the short time between when stocks of their brown backs ran out after the passage of the Aldrich-Vreeland Act and when their charters were extended for another 20 years.
The date of extension was calculated as the date of organization listed on the table above, plus 20 years and one day. Thereafter, the banks received “Series of 1902” date-backs.
There wasn’t much time, so rarities were created. The number of “Series of 1882” date-backs to Rosecrans-Hyatt signatures, which may prove to be the smallest of any of the national bank note series/type/signature varieties.
Featured in this article are images of proofs for each of the banks for which plates were prepared, including the non-issuing Albion, Nebraska. Take a look and commence dreaming!
You may also like: