1902 Wahoo Nebraska $10 National Bank Note Fr 624 Ch 2780 PMG 63 EPQ McKinley Plain Back

1902 Wahoo Nebraska $10 National Bank Note Fr 624 Ch 2780 PMG 63 EPQ McKinley Plain Back

Offered is a handsome large-size $10 1902 Plain Back National Bank Note from The First National Bank of Wahoo, Nebraska, charter #2780, cataloged as Friedberg 624. The note is certified by PMG as Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ, confirming both its high grade and Exceptional Paper Quality – original, unpressed paper with strong embossing and fresh surfaces. Serial number 13117, plate position D, is boldly printed in blue, matching the equally vivid blue charter numbers “2780” at left and right.

Historical Significance – The First National Bank of Wahoo
The First National Bank of Wahoo opened its doors in 1882, serving farmers, merchants, and railroad-linked commerce in rural Saunders County. Over its national-note lifetime the bank issued both large and small-size Nationals, but in cumulative terms its total circulation was modest compared with big-city institutions, making its large-size notes notably elusive today. Wahoo’s distinctive town name has long made its notes especially popular with collectors of “town-name” Nationals, and appearances of high-grade large-size examples at auction are few and far between.

Design & Artistic Detail
This is the classic Series of 1902 $10 “Plain Back” design:

• Face: At left is a finely engraved portrait of President William McKinley, framed by ornate scrollwork and laurel wreaths. The upper border carries “National Currency” and “United States of America,” while the center boldly states the title “The First National Bank of Wahoo” and the payable amount “Ten Dollars.” The Lyons–Roberts signature combination appears at the bottom as Register and Treasurer of the United States, with the bank officers’ signatures in rich brown ink across the lower margin. The date line reads “Wahoo, Nebraska, July 22, 1902,” firmly anchoring the note in the early twentieth-century farm-belt economy.

• Back: Printed in vibrant green, the reverse features the allegorical standing female figure symbolizing Commerce and Navigation, flanked by steamships in the background and framed by an intricate cartouche of acanthus leaves and denomination counters. Large “TEN” and “10” devices at the corners leave no doubt about the value, while the wording along the lower border confirms the note’s legal-tender status for all national-bank obligations.

The printing on this example is particularly sharp: fine line engraving in McKinley’s portrait, clearly defined lathework in the borders, and deep, even green ink on the back.

Denomination in Context
In the early 1900s, $10 represented a meaningful sum in rural Nebraska – roughly a week’s wages for many laborers or a substantial grocery or feed bill for a local family. A single note like this might have passed only occasionally between Wahoo’s businesses, farms, and the bank’s vaults, making its survival in Choice Uncirculated condition all the more remarkable.

Cataloging & Type

• Type: Large-size National Bank Note, Third Charter period

• Series: 1902 Plain Back, Blue Seal

• Denomination: $10

• Friedberg: Fr. 624 (Lyons–Roberts signatures, Plain Back)

• Charter: #2780 – The First National Bank of Wahoo, Nebraska

• Serial: 13117, Plate D

Collector’s Value & Appeal
For National Bank Note specialists and state collectors alike, this Wahoo $10 offers a potent mix of desirable town name, scarce Nebraska charter, large-size format, and premium PMG 63 EPQ grade. Heritage sales records show only a handful of large-size $10 Plain Backs from this bank trading publicly, and they are consistently in strong demand whenever they appear. With its wide margins, bold signatures, and fully original paper, this piece would make an impressive centerpiece in a Nebraska-themed collection, a town-name set, or a high-end 1902 $10 type run – and it will be very difficult to improve upon in both eye appeal and certification.