1517

Tied for Third Finest $20 Kirtland Note Signed by Joseph Smith. 1837 $20 Kirtland Safety Society Ban

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:1,500.00 USD Estimated At:3,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Tied for Third Finest $20 Kirtland Note Signed by Joseph Smith. 1837 $20 Kirtland Safety Society Ban
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3,750.00USD+ (750.00) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2018 Sep 21 @ 22:09UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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Tied for Third Finest $20 Kirtland Note Signed by Joseph Smith. 1837 $20 Kirtland Safety Society Bank. Kirtland, OH. Nyholm 4. Rust 9. PMG Very Fine 25. S/N 4, February 10. This is a very nice Kirtland $20. It is very bright and clean with sharp corners and edges. The signatures are exceptionally strong and clear. The Ink may have been lightened as mentioned on the PMG label but we are not certain of that.
This note is also notable pertaining to ongoing research regarding serial numbers. As noted, the S/N for this note is a low number, 4.
This is the lowest recorded number for any Kirtland note of any denomination and is an integral note in the research which is on-going regarding the “Ceremonial First Signing” of Kirtland notes. As such it is very likely that the signatures on this note are not scribes but the actual signatures of both Joseph Smith Jr. and Sidney Rigdon. One might ask, how is this possible since the date on the note is February 10th and the bank originated during the first week of January? After observing over 600 individual Kirtland notes and trying to make sense of this one thing can be noted, the signatures, serial number and date applications were many times if not always applied as widely varying times. Some notes also show that the inks were in three different colors. It appears that the notes were signed and therefore authenticated only when the bank presidency (Smith and Rigdon) were in town to do so. This was a requirement of the written charter articles of the Bank itself. The dates numbers and To: fields were applied later as required.


The serial number research as connected with a possible First Signing Ceremony are presented here for the first time. It has always been accepted that the signatures of Smith/Rigdon have not been authenticated to scribes or those of the actual people but regardless the value and desirability of the notes do not reflect this and are valued as though the signatures are Smith’s. This note amongst a few others could change that as recently an official letter confirming that the signatures on a unique 3-note partial signed sheet have been authenticated as actual signatures. This note is extremely important as the lowest S/N Kirtland note.
A scarce denomination as less than 40 are known and none are graded above VF 30.
PMG has only graded four PMG 25, and two higher (a VF-30 and VF 30 EPQ)
EX: LDS Mormon Collection