This next entry in our blog series covering Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest American Currency Notes is perhaps the most unique one yet. In fact, if you are not well-versed in the world of currency specifically, it is more than likely you are not even aware that it exists. However, that’s just the thing, isn’t it? Does it exist in the hobby and does the man on the face of it exist period? Confused may be the word you are searching for right about now, but authors Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman will take us through this top 25 pick and the reality of it all.
#23 – St. Nicholas and Reindeer “Santa Claus Note”
Whether or not Santa Claus is real is irrelevant in this case because he exists in the numismatics world, which makes him about as real as it gets. Featured on several different denominations of bills from state-chartered banks, you can see him and his reindeer on the face of currency used in the 1850s. Collecting the several different vignettes became a specialty for collectors with St. Nicholas drawing high interest from just about anyone in the hobby. The Bucksport Bank Santa featured on the $50 notes from the Bucksport (Maine) Bank was engraved in 1854 by George D. Baldwin.
Prior to the mid-19th century, Christmas was not widely celebrated in the United States. Puritans believed it to be offensive that Christians observed the holiday and even campaigned for fines against it. However, the first state to legalize the holiday was Alabama in 1836. Most other states did not legalize Christmas until the 1860s or later. The popularity of Santa Claus was pushed forward by Clement C. Moore’s, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” which was first published on December 22, 1823, in the Sentinel from Troy, New York. It was later known as “The Night Before Christmas.”
In 1960, the historic market value of the “Santa Claus Note” in a Fine condition was $50. By this publication (2006), that rose to $1,500.
