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SIX ORIGINAL ANTIQUE BANK PROMISSORY NOTES — 1919–1922
THE MERCHANTS AND MECHANICS SAVINGS BANK
GRAFTON, WEST VIRGINIA
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY REVENUE STAMPS
An attractive collection of six original early 20th-century promissory notes issued through The Merchants and Mechanics Savings Bank of Grafton, West Virginia.
Dating from approximately 1919 through 1922, these documents preserve an interesting record of local banking, private borrowing, property-related financing, and American financial history.
Each note features the bank's printed name, handwritten financial information, signatures, and period cancellation or renewal markings.
DOCUMENTED FACE AMOUNTS
The six original notes are for:
These amounts represent the original historical obligations, not the present collectible value of the documents.ORIGINAL REVENUE STAMPS
An especially interesting feature is the presence of original United States documentary revenue stamps on the reverse of several notes.
The stamps are red and bear printed denominations, with examples including groups of multiple stamps affixed to a single document.
These stamps were used to document payment of applicable federal taxes on financial instruments.
They remain attached to the original notes, providing important context for collectors of United States revenue stamps and fiscal history.
BANKING AND LOCAL HISTORY
The documents identify The Merchants and Mechanics Savings Bank of Grafton, West Virginia.
Several are signed by D. L. Carpenter and include handwritten references to property lots, repayment dates, and bank renewals.
The notes provide a fascinating look at how lending transactions were recorded in the years surrounding World War I and the beginning of the 1920s.
COLLECTION FEATURES
Six original bank promissory notes
Dates approximately 1919–1922
Merchants and Mechanics Savings Bank
Grafton, West Virginia
Original handwritten signatures
Historical loan amounts and repayment terms
Bank cancellation and renewal stamps
Multiple original documentary revenue stamps
Property-related notations
Early American financial and banking ephemera
COLLECTOR INTEREST
A desirable historical grouping for collectors of:
Antique banking documents
West Virginia financial history
Grafton and Taylor County memorabilia
United States documentary revenue stamps
Fiscal philately
Early 20th-century promissory notes
Historical real estate financing records
American business and financial ephemera
Genealogical and local history archives
Because the notes originate from the same bank and are associated with the same individual, they make a cohesive historical collection rather than an unrelated assortment.
All six original notes shown are included and are being sold together as one lot.
These are canceled historical financial documents sold strictly as collectibles, not redeemable banknotes or active financial instruments.
Please review all photographs carefully for condition, handwriting, dates, and stamp details.
