[Gesick, E. John, Jr. Under the Live Oak Tree: A History of Seguin, Ch. 9.]The First National Bank of Seguin opened in 1897 A Sanborn map from 1902 shows a bank on the southwest corner of Austin & Court Streets. The image above shows the bank about 1910.
The First National Bank of Sequin was chartered 5097 in 1897
The First National Bank of Sequin printed 1882 Brown Backs and Date Backs, 1902 Plain Backs, and 1929 Types 1 & 2.
The census reports twenty-two notes: five 1882 Brown Backs, one 1882 Date Back, one 1902 Plain Back, twelve 1929 Type 1's, and three Type 2's.
This 1882 Brown Back was sold by Heritage Auctions September 2009, for $27,600. It had been earlier sold in March, 1989, by Stacks Bowers for $4,445 and again in August, 2002, by Lyn Knight Currency Auctions for $43,125.
[Image Heritage Auctions]"Seguin, TX - $100 1882 Brown Back Fr. 528 The First NB Ch. # (S)5097
A spectacular $100 Brown Back which is as lovely as it is rare. It is one of only two large notes from this bank in public hands, with the other being a matching $50 Brown Back from the same sheet, albeit with considerably smaller margins. A similar $100 Brown Back resides in the Philpott/Moody Foundation holdings. This note traces its pedigree to a Mayflower Coin Auction sale held in 1974, where this piece was lot 481 and graded Crisp Uncirculated. It then passed into the hands of Howard Gunlocke of Wayland, New York , whose collection, including this note, was sold by Stack's in March of 1989, where this note was lot 587 and realized $4445. It was acquired there by Sam Feldman, a Dallas based collector who put together a wonderful set of Texas Brown Backs, among other items, and was sold after his passing in 2002, when it realized $43,125. Of the fewer than twenty five $100 Texas Brown Backs known to exist in private hands there is only one contender to rival this note for "Finest Known," although we strongly suspect that with that note having been graded as AU in the past and this note as CU that this note is superior. Without a side by side comparison we will not make that claim, but we do know this is easily the finest high denomination Texas Brown Back we have ever seen offered for sale, period. The paper quality is superlative, the embossing bold and evident, the inks incredibly bright, and the colors as vivid as though the note had been printed this morning. Any estimate here is just a guess, as notes of this quality come on the market only when the greatest of collections are offered, but this beautiful About Uncirculated $100 Brown Back is certain to look even better to its fortunate new owner the morning after the sale than it did the morning before. From The Lone Star Collection "