Oilfields National Bank in Brea, California
small size $5, type I
This specimen was lot 17630 in Heritage auction 354 (the Horwedel sale, Long Beach, CA, September 2004), where it sold for $1,150. The catalog description[1] noted, "Brea, CA - $5 1929 Ty. 1 The Oilfields NB Ch. # 13001, A just plain rare note, with two large and five small examples making up the entire census from here. Again, most all are closely held, with this only the third offering of any kind from here at public sale during the past sixty years. Well circulated but intact Very Good. From George Decker in 1999."
small size $5, type II
The first note was lot 2683 in Goldberg sale 62 (Beverly Hills, February 2010), where it sold for $11,500. The catalog description[1] noted, "1929, $5 National Bank Note. Oilfields NB in Brea, CA. PCGS Choice About New 58PPQ. This lovely high grade example is pedigreed to the Horwedel sale, where it brought $2,185 in 2004. It is one of a small and long since dispersed hoard of $5 Type 2 examples which make up the overwhelming majority of the reported notes from here." The second specimen was lot 20160 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $7,200. The catalog description[2] noted,
"A Great Uncut Sheet from the Northern Reaches of Orange County, Uncut Sheet of (6) Brea, California. $5 1929 Ty. 2. Oilfields NB. Charter #13877. PMG About Uncirculated 55 EPQ. Bearing a title fitting for a community that has long been tied to the production of crude oil. The Oilfields National Bank in Brea was first chartered in 1933 succeeding the Oilfields National Bank of Brea (Charter# 13001) which had only been chartered in 1926. Issuing a total of $33,450 in National Currency before 1935 saw the end of National Bank Notes; this sheet is one of 2,820 sheets of Type 2 $5s issued by this institution where roughly 50 examples are currently known by the National Bank Note Census. A true trophy to be had for the California specialist."
small size $10
This specimen was lot 17632 in Heritage auction 354 (the Horwedel sale, Long Beach, CA, September 2004), where it sold for $1,955. The catalog description[1] noted, "Brea, CA - $10 1929 Ty. 2 Oilfields NB Ch. # 13877, A much scarcer denomination from here, with just four $10 examples recorded in the census. About Fine, with a few short repaired splits in the margins." This specimen was subsequently lot 20638 in Heritage auction 3567 (Long Beach, CA, September 2018), where it sold for $720.
Catalog reference: Fr-1800-2, KL-1171.
- [1]Goldberg, Ira, and Larry Goldberg, Goldberg Sale 62: the Pre-Long Beach Sale, Beverly Hills: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2011.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to:
- Coins and currency dated 1929
- return to National Bank Notes of Orange County, California
- see National Bank Notes of California for a complete list by charter number