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An old-style currency note from the City of New Orleans, valued at one dollar. It features images of two ships, elaborate designs, and portraits of women. The note is dated January 1, 1863, with decorative borders and numerals 49 120.

Regional Banking

Money, Money, Money!
Money and Why There Was Never Enough
Banking in the Antebellum South
Banking and the Civil War
Greenback Revolution

As one of antebellum America’s largest port cities, New Orleans drew planters, merchants, visitors, and laborers from around the country. Those traveling with money from other regions could visit a New Orleans bank to exchange their notes for local currency, according to rates published weekly in Louisiana newspapers. The less known and more distant the issuing institution, the worse the exchange rate.

An old five-dollar banknote from The Mississippi Shipping Company, featuring a steamboat illustration, printed in Natchez. The note is numbered and signed, with ornate detailing and a date visible as November 10, 1837.
Mississippi Shipping Company five-dollar note, November 1, 1839, engraving by Underwood, Bald, Spencer, and Hufty. HNOC, 1974.25.22.4
An old $20 banknote from the Republic of Texas, dated January 12, 1841, featuring various detailed illustrations including an archer, seated figures, and decorative borders.
Republic of Texas twenty-dollar note, July 12, 1839, engraving by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson (New Orleans or New York). HNOC, 1989.123.2
An old ten-dollar banknote from the Agricultural Bank of Mississippi, featuring decorative elements, a woman seated with a cornucopia, and intricate designs with the number 10 prominently displayed.
Agricultural Bank of Mississippi ten-dollar note, January 16, 1840, engraving by Rawdon Wright, Hatch, and Edson (New Orleans or New York). HNOC, 1979.24.1
An old five-dollar banknote from the Lafayette Bank of Cincinnati, dated August 2, 1844. It features an image of a man on the left and a group of people sitting at a table on the right.
Lafayette Bank of Cincinnati five-dollar note August 4, 1846, engraving by Underwood, Bald, Spencer, and Hufty (Philadelphia or New York). HNOC, 1979.24.2
An old five-dollar banknote from the Central Bank of Tennessee, dated July 10, 1856. It features allegorical figures, civil war imagery, and the number five prominently displayed. The note is marked as issued in Nashville.
Central Bank of Tennessee five-dollar note, July 10, 1855, engraving by Danforth, Wright, and Company (Philadelphia or New York). HNOC, 1989.95.34
An old Citizens Bank of Louisiana fifty-dollar bill. It features intricate designs, including a detailed portrait of a man on the right, and an image of a woman and child near the center. The bill is primarily green and beige.
Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana at Shreveport fifty-dollar note, June 30, 1857, engraving by American Bank Note Company. HNOC, 1970.19.66
Chapter 4: The Citizens’ Bank of Louisiana