Knight prices offer more ups than downs
By Bill Brandimore I had more fun at the Higgins Museum seminar than probably is allowed by law. I drove over with Cliff Mishler and we had a nice ride,…
By Bill Brandimore
I had more fun at the Higgins Museum seminar than probably is allowed by law. I drove over with Cliff Mishler and we had a nice ride, along with chewing over the latest events in numismatics.
I participated with Mark Anderson in giving a talk on German American National Banks in Wisconsin. Not only were the talks great, as given by Peter Huntoon, Larry Adams, Mark Dengson, and Steve Sweeney, but the ambiance of association with avid collectors and the beauty of the location at Okoboji, Iowa, made it a memorable event. In particular, I was awed by slides and the story of collecting a change-over pair of National Bank Notes. The change was from a note with serial numbers for the bank and the national serial number over to two bank serial numbers.
The next seminar will probably be two years from now, but I’ll give you ample notice because you don’t want to miss one of these seminars, especially if you collect Nationals.
I also enjoyed the company of Ernest Lurvey of Marshfield, Wis., who brought me greetings from my good friend, Terry Kafka, from the Wisconsin Valley Coin Club. It was also fun to reacquaint myself with Dr. David Walsworth and his wife, Susan, who traveled up from West Monroe, La., and Joe Ridder of Indian Lake, S.C. We all had a great time and were so collegial that, as we left a restaurant, I was asked by folks near us if we were family getting together. I advised them that we were a family of collectors.
In reviewing Lyn Knight auction prices at Kansas City, I noted a few more ups than downs. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues at Philadelphia and Long Beach in August, which I will report on in the next issue.
A Colfax Washington territory ten dollar 1882 Brownback with an Amon Carter pedigree in Very Fine plus condition brought $105,000. Our VF price for Brownback 10s is $750. That would be the price for a common $10 Brownback. This sale emphasizes the wide diversity of prices for National Bank types regarding rarity. This note is unique to the bank, which also helps. So your library should include Kelly’s National Bank Note book if you want to find out a value for a National Bank you’re researching. The old Hickman Oakes book does the same thing but offers dated pricing.
A cut sheet of 1917 $1 Legal Tenders (KL27/Fr39) in Choice CU brought $1,020 with the buyers fee. A $10,000 Gold Certificate (KL1079h/Fr1225h) in PMG62 was hammered down at $7,200. It was stamp cancelled rather than punch cancelled and quite attractive.
An 1880 $10 Silver Certificate in PMG VF35 (KL412/Fr287) earned a price of $6,000. The 1880 $10s and $20s are rarely found this nice and seem to frequently come with net or apparent grades.
If you were looking for a nice type note bargain, an 1891 $2 Windom note in Fine brought $360. A number of Fine to Very Fine Indian Chiefs brought $500 or less, while a fine $5 Porthole note also brought less than $500. Buffalos in Fine and Very Fine seemed a bit stronger and came in higher than $700, while a Buffalo star (KL386*/Fr120*) in PMG VF20 sold for $4,950, with only 12 examples reported.
Contact me at billbrandimore@charter.net and let me know what you have to say.
This article was originally printed in Bank Note Reporter. >> Subscribe today.
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