Pilger, Nebraska. $20 1902 Plain Back. Fr. 660. First NB. Charter #5937. PCGS Banknote Fine 12. Bayard Hoard.An unremarkable note at first glance, but one which can trace its pedigree back to the "Boys Hidden Treasure," a cash hoard amounting to roughly $11,500.00 in face value. Discovered in 1965 by a group of 12 boys from Bayard, a small community just west of Des Moines, the hoard contained a substantial amount of Iowa Nationals and other numismatic items squirreled away in fruit jars that were discovered buried beneath an old foundation. Subject to a prolonged legal battle following the discovery, this note was eventually offered at auction by the firm Ehrhardt & Sweeney a few years after the initial discovery. Accounting for what can be presumed to be one of the few non-Iowa Nationals to be discovered, extant albeit faint signatures are noticed while the note itself holds up well in an aesthetic and technical sense for a piece found under these circumstances. As for the bank itself, a total of 12 notes are recorded on this small Stanton County institution by the National Bank Note Census making for a rare note and one with an almost picture-perfect story compounded by a mountain of red tape and legal intrigue. A must have item for the seasoned collector of Nebraska and Iowa Nationals. <p><p><p><p><p><p>
