Kirtland, Ohio. Kirtland Safety Society Bank. 1837 $3. PMG Very Fine 20.No.530. Plate A. A tangible piece of history relating to the early years of the Latter Day Saints movement before their move to Missouri and eventually Nauvoo at the end of the 1830s. This $3 Obsolete was issued by the Kirtland Safety Society Bank which had been organized by prominent members of the LDS community in Kirtland with Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon as the banks principal officers. Unable to secure a charter from the Ohio Legislature, the institution became an "Anti-Banking Company" with an estimated circulation far in excess of available resources before their petition for a charter was formally rejected by the Legislature in February 1837. By September the bank failed and in the early months of 1838, Smith was faced with a warrant for his arrest which saw him flee to Missouri with a number of followers. Notably this piece represents an early issue as "Anti" and "Ing" are absent from both ends of "Bank" seen to the left of vignette of a primitive locomotive with a rural riverside village in the background. Far superior to the example we sold for $2,280 in our Spring 2024 Showcase Auction (Lot 20132) in both technical and aesthetic terms. PMG comments "Stain."
