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National Bank Notes > North Dakota

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Saint Thomas, First NB, 4550
Fr. 653 $20 1902PB
Grade: PMG VF 20    

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Saint Thomas was one of the first banks chartered after statehood, being organized March 7, 1891. A total of just 6,201 large size sheets were issued before they switched to small size. There are five large notes reported on the bank. This is a nice, evenly circulated example with exceptional blue pen signatures of E.T. Thompson, President and H.L. Barnes, Cashier. This note, no doubt, belongs in the collection of Saint Thomas Dente, a prominent Boston travel agent and sometimes currency dealer, but always one of our best friends. Saint Thomas, located in Pembina County, was named for Saint Thomas, Ontario, Canada. The population was 331 at the 2010 census. The first settlers came to the townsite of St. Thomas in 1879. On July 25, 1881, the Post Office opened with Thomas Lemon as the first Postmaster. The first issue of The St. Thomas Times was published in 1882. The city incorporated in 1885, and a peak population of 850 was reported in 1890. Notable people from Saint Thomas include Edward K. Thompson, editor of LIFE and founding editor of Smithsonian Magazine, and Thomas E. Whelan, United States Ambassador to Nicaragua 1951-1961.

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