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Auction: 26008 - World & British Banknotes including the Cockburn & Jersey Collections
Lot: 375

Legal Tender, USA, $10, 1901, serial number E37217330 pp B,

Introducing an iconic Legal Tender "Bison Note", featuring the American bison standing proudly at the centre.

The bison is deeply rooted in American heritage and serves as a powerful symbol of the nation's frontier history. At the time of issue in 1901, the American bison had already undergone a dramatic decline due to overhunting and habitat loss, making its depiction all the more striking within this historical context.

Disputes over whether the bison on this note is 'Black Diamond', an iconic buffalo situated in the Central Park Zoo in the early 1900s and similarly believed to have been the model for the "Buffalo Nickel" coin, adds further intrigue to the illustration.

Alongside the bison are portraits of American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, best known for leading an expedition that explored the newly acquired western portion of the country, a significant step in the era of westward expansion. On the reverse of the note, Columbia is situated between two pillars and scrolls, a neoclassical figure symbolising the nation's strength, liberty, and independence.

(Fr. 122), in PMG holder 63 Choice Uncirculated, sought after and particularly rare in this excellent grade

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Estimate
£2,400 to £4,400

Starting price
£1600