The Bank of the United States, which issued real $1,000 notes (as well as a $2,000 and $5,000 denomination), was actually the Third Bank of the United States. The genuine notes (like the one offered here) were printed by Draper, Toppan, Longacre & Co. These are the highest denomination notes issued by the Bank. These are staggering denominations for 1840. At that time, a team worker on the Erie Canal made about $13.50 in wages for a six-day work week ($702 per year). Denominations this high were typically used for bank and business transfers.

The Bank of the United States was originally chartered as a banking institution in Pennsylvania. This particular example, graded PCGS AU 58 Premium Paper Quality, was payable at the New York branch. The note offered here is entirely genuine and should be considered scarce to rare. The usual printed endorsements are found on the back which in turn have produced embossing on the face. The portraits are of David Rittenhouse, William Penn, Thomas Paine, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin and Robert Fulton.

This scarce type note has the dubious distinction of being one of the most heavily copied and reproduced notes in the world. It is surely one of the most commonly encountered replicas in all of numismatics. The replicas, with serial number 8894, are on an artificial parchment style paper created in the early 1960s. The yellowish-brown "antiqued" paper is crisp and brittle to the touch. These crude copies were reproduced for a promotional giveaway in cereal boxes and are essentially worthless.

Our offering is the genuine article, authenticated and graded by PCGS Currency one of the premier currency grading services. This printing incorporated thin "rice paper" stock, typical of the broken bank notes (oboletes) printed during this era. Offerings of this type are truely few and far between.