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25C 1862 Banking House of C.A. Cook & Co., CO - Denver,

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Paper Money - United States Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:8,000.00 - 9,500.00 USD
25C 1862 Banking House of C.A. Cook & Co., CO - Denver,
IMPORTANT NOTE ON BUYERS PREMIUMS:

Lot 100 to 343 have a premium of 15%.

The rest of the sale is 19.5% as noted in the listing.

Lot Pick Up: Holabird-Kagin Americana,
3555 Airway Drive Ste #309,
Reno NV 89511,
Sunday - December 9, 10am-4pm
Introduction

Nolie Mumay wrote much about Cook, who came to Colorado early in the Pikes Peak Rush of 1859. His treatise on Colorado Territorial scrip has stood the test of time (1966). This note is one of only three known. PMG XF-45. Unissued remainder. With the usual hole cancels, it is dated circa 1861-1863. Colorado territorial note.
Originally an auction and commission merchant, the well respected Banking House of C. A. Cook & Co., the brainchild of Charles A. Cook, issued over $2000 of notes. They were printed by Siebert & Bros. in New York. These notes were redeemable for gold dust and lawful currency at their establishment. Cook notes circulated from 1861 to 1863. In the spring of 1863, great fire destroyed much of Denver’s businesses; the first to go was the Cook Building.

Story

Gold dust was the trading entity or cash replacement in Colorado in the early years of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Far out on the Western frontier it was difficult, nigh impossible, to get circulating specie. There were few banks and none with sufficient circulating money to reach the goldfields.

These Colorado firms sprang up in an attempt to supply the region with circulating specie. Clark, Gruber & Co. began striking their own gold coins in 1860. Parsons and J.J. Conway followed suite in 1860-61.

Charles A. Cook and his partner Jasper Sears took a different approach, trying to put paper currency backed by gold dust into circulation. In all likelihood, it met with much antagonism and opposition. Western miners were creatures of their own production. They produced gold and wanted to be paid in gold.

The need for both private gold coin and private currency took an apparent turn in 1862 when the federal government bought Clark, Gruber and Co. in anticipation of building another branch mint. This sent a silent notice to competitors who quietly “went away.” Thought there were other circumstances, such as the great fire that burned Cook & Co., certainly played a part.

The Cook Note

Printed on bond paper. 155mm by 65mm. Cook issued notes in 10c, 25c, 50c and $1.Central green protector grill undertint with large "25" counter flanked by reverses of U.S. Seated Liberty quarter dollar coin vignette. Gothic title across the top left with vignette of hunter with rifle at lower left and Liberty and eagle vignette at upper right over "25" counter. "Denver, C.T." at the left just under the protector. Space for date and signatures at lower right. High rarity 6 (6 to 10 known).[Durand COT-7. Mumey, pages 3-30; Similar to Schingoethe Part II; Lot 3762; The Mumey Plate note sold in July 2007 brought $9,775 in heated bidding. Pedigree: Henry Clifford Territorial coin and note collection]. -62036