Philadelphia National Bank, Philadelphia, PA (Charter 539)

The Philadelphia National Bank building ca1902

Philadelphia National Bank/Philadelphia-Girard NB/Philadelphia NB, Philadelphia, PA (Chartered 1864 - Closed (Merger) 1990)

Town History

The Philadelphia National Bank building ca2021. Courtesy of Google Maps

Philadelphia is located in Philadelphia County, in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. It is currently the sixth-most-populous city in the United States and the most populous city in the state of Pennsylvania. It is also the second-most populous city in the Northeastern United States, behind New York City.

Philadelphia is one of the oldest municipalities in the United States. William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city in 1682 to serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. It grew on the steep banks of the Delaware River into a hub of international trade and monetary influence. The royal post-office was established in this city by Franklin. Mail would pass uninterrupted from Crown to Republic, the one royal department which did so. The Colonies used the old expresses and mail routes leading up to and through the revolution. Philadelphia played an instrumental role in the American Revolution as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers of the United States, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 in Carpenters' Hall, and the Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in Independence Hall.

Philadelphia was the second Capitol after New York City during George Washington's presidency. On April 2, 1792, the United States Mint opened its doors here with David Rittenhouse, former treasurer of Pennsylvania, the first director. The American Philosophical Society was the first scientific society in the land and still meets in the hall Franklin secured for it. Former townships and boroughs of Bristol, Richmond, Kensington, Germantown, Manayunk, Northern Liberties, Southwark, to name a few, were consolidated into Philadelphia in 1854 which then occupied all of Philadelphia County.

During the National Bank Note Era (1863-1935), the population of Philadelphia was 674,022 in 1870, growing to 1,950,961 in 1930. Its highest population was 2,071,605 in 1950, and the current population is estimated at 1,584,064 (2019).

Philadelphia had 70 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 62 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Philadelphia also had 27 Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).

Bank History

A letter from The Philadelphia National Bank to the Creston National Bank, Creston, Iowa, signed by Assistant Cashier H. Fortescue on bank stationery dated August 1909. Courtesy of Mark Drengson

Organized October 20, 1864
Chartered October 22, 1864
Succeeded Philadelphia Bank

1: Assumed 543 by consolidation Jun 26, 1900 (City National Bank, Philadelphia, PA)
1: Absorbed 538 Aug 31, 1918 (Farmers and Mechanics NB, Philadelphia, PA)
1: Assumed 592 by consolidation Mar 31, 1926 with title change (Girard National Bank, Philadelphia, PA)
3: Assumed 5459 by consolidation Apr 7, 1928 with title change (Franklin Fourth Street National Bank, Philadelphia, PA)
Bank was Open past 1935
For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
Merged into Corestates Bank, National Association in Philadelphia, PA, October 1, 1990

The Philadelphia National Bank has occupied since 1859 the massive granite building at 421 Chestnut Street.

On January 9, 1866, the following gentlemen were elected directors: Thomas Robbins, Samuel Welsh, Marshall Hill, J.L. Erringer, Augustus Heaton, J. Gillingham Fell, Edward S. Clarke, Henry Preaut, George Whitney, Benjamin G. Godfrey, Richard Wood, John D. Taylor, and James Steel. The next day the directors unanimously re-elected Thomas robins, Esq., president and B.B. Comegys, cashier.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Philadelphia National Bank, Philadelphia, PA

2: 2nd title not used on notes: The Philadelphia-Girard National Bank (3/31/1926) , Philadelphia , PA

3: The Philadelphia National Bank (4/7/1928), Philadelphia, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $20 bank note with pen signatures of L.L. Rue, Cashier and N.P. Shortridge, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with SN 1 and pen signatures of H.J. Keser, Cashier and N.P. Shortridge, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1902 Red Seal $5 bank note with pen signatures of Harry J. Keser, Cashier and L.L. Rue, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

1929 Type 1 $5 bank note with printed signatures of R. Elliott Owens, Cashier and F.J. Peck, President.

1929 Type 1 $5 bank note with printed signatures of O. Howard Wolfe, Cashier and Joseph Wayne, Jr., President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $31,439,000 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 3,717,168 notes (2,092,626 large size and 1,624,542 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1: Original Series	4x5	1 - 11500
1: Original Series	4x10	1 - 2500
1: Original Series	3x20-50	1 - 1800
1: Original Series	100-100	1 - 6430
1: Original Series	500	1 - 400
1: Series 1875	4x5	1 - 24000
1: Series 1875	4x10	1 - 14875
1: Series 1875	100-100	1 - 2639
1: 1882 Brown Back	4x5	1 - 102000
1: 1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 33200
1: 1882 Brown Back	50-100	1 - 1634
1: 1902 Red Seal	4x5	1 - 57500
1: 1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 37000
1: 1902 Date Back	4x5	1 - 122000
1: 1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 88800
3: 1902 Plain Back	4x5	1 - 13005
3: 1902 Plain Back	3x10-20	1 - 9525
3: 1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 150337
3: 1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 94996
3: 1929 Type 1	6x20	1 - 25424

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1935):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

Joseph Wayne, Jr., Vice President, 1915...1925 Signature Joseph Wayne Jr.'s signature appears on both series of 1902 date backs and plain backs.

Wiki Links

Sources

Philadelphia, PA, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania
Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, Fri., Jan. 12, 1866.