Fr. 387a. Worcester, Massachusetts. $2 Original Series. The First National Bank of Worcester. Charte

Fr. 387a. Worcester, Massachusetts. $2 Original Series. The First National Bank of Worcester. Charter #79. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ.，This bright note features bold white paper and vivid ink tones. Only the final digit of the bank serial is somewhat lightly impressed, while all other details are bold. Neatly penned signatures in the usual brown ink. Clearly cut by hand from the bottom of the original four-subject sheet, as the borders are uneven and narrow in places, as often seen, but they are all complete and the corner tips are sharp. The four notes on these sheets were extremely closely spaced, with the exception of the top of the highest $1 note and the bottom of the $2 note; all single notes have tiny margins. This fact is little understood today.<p><p>In the 19th century, Worcester, Massachusetts was a thriving city, supported by a vibrant manufacturing industry. As the title suggests, this bank was the first one chartered and as in the case of the Original Series ace offered above, this note was printed in the first batch of National Bank Notes, between March 28, 1865 and October 4, 1865. The parameters for this determination are the same as for the $1 notes.<p><p>Nine more National Banks would follow this one in Worcester, but only two institutions operated long enough to issue small-size notes of 1929. This bank was chartered in 1863, one of the first 100 charters of the National Banking era, which is notable as a some collectors focus solely on the first 100 charters. While the bank operated for 19 years, the currency issuance was relatively small, amounting to just $731,100, consisting only of Original Series and Series of 1875 notes. As of the final accounting in 1910, it was believed that just $3,584 remained outstanding and most of which is almost certainly lost.<p><p>Today, the Census figures for the known notes on this title indicate just 13 notes, and this one will be an addition, becoming the lone Lazy Deuce reported. A single Original Series $20 is reported, but the grade is unknown. Barring a spectacular specimen behind that entry, this note will easily stand as the finest survivor on the bank, the only one considered Uncirculated, and the most prized of the early types. <p><p>Among all Original Series Lazy Deuces (counting all Friedberg varieties), this note is among the very finest survivors. The PMG records include this lone note in this grade with four finer, each by a single grade point. This is a most impressive example of this prized type that has been off the market more than half a century.<p><p>Today, Worcester is home to several universities and the American Antiquarian Society, Americas most extensive repository of printed material from the colonial era through 1876.<p>，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from Morey Perlmutter, October 1967, by direct sale.，