1912 $12.50 St. Francois County Railroad Co. Gold Bond Coupon – Missouri Interurban Electric Line – Cancelled – Very Fine Details (VF Details – Dual Spindle / Cancellation Punches)

Technical Breakdown & Attribution

• Type: Corporate Railroad Mortgage Gold Bond Interest Coupon

• Issuer: St. Francois County Railroad Company (Farmington / Flat River, Missouri)

• Denomination: $12.50 / TWELVE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS

• Gold Clause: Payable "in gold coin of the United States of America of the present or an equal standard of weight and fineness"

• Interest Terms: Six months' semi-annual interest at 5% Per Annum on a 30-Year Mortgage Gold Bond ($12.50 semi-annually on a $500 bond)

• Due Date: October 1, 1912 ("On the first day of October A.D., 1912")

• Coupon Number: No. 92 (Printed in bold orange-red ink)

  • Inventory Tail (Coupon Number): 0092 or 092

• Series / Classification: "Series C"

• Paying Agent / Redemption Location: German Savings Institution, City of St. Louis, Missouri

• Signature: Wm. R. Taylor (Treasurer)

• Reverse Face: Intricate green intaglio security lathework back centered around geometric denomination counters.

• Cancellation: Dual circular spindle/bank hole punches through the center margin borders, denoting historical redemption and payment at maturity in 1912.

Historical Significance: The Lead Belt Electric Interurban

1. The St. Francois County Railroad (Chartered 1901): Operating in the heart of Missouri's historic "Old Lead Belt," this electric interurban railway ran between De Lassus, Farmington, and Flat River, connecting the world-class lead mining district with major trunk rail lines.

2. Pre-1933 Gold Clause Obligation: Like premier industrial bonds of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, this note guaranteed redemption strictly in physical U.S. gold coin—a monetary protection clause later outlawed by Congress in 1933 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

3. German Savings Institution (St. Louis): Founded in 1853 to serve the massive German-immigrant merchant community in St. Louis, this major regional financial institution handled corporate trusts and bond coupons for Missouri industrial enterprises (later reorganizing during WWI as Liberty Bank due to anti-German sentiment).

4. Legitimate Bank Redemption: Unlike unredeemed wartime scrip, this coupon was actually presented at the German Savings Institution counter in St. Louis in October 1912, paid out in gold coin or equivalent bank credit, and punched through for cancellation.

Condition & Visual Grade Assessment

• Assigned Technical Grade: Very Fine Details (VF Details – Dual Bank Cancellation / Spindle Hole Punches)

• Preservation Highlights & Attributes:

  • Margins & Trimming: Fully intact, square outer borderlines visible on all four sides with clean white border margins.

  • Paper Fabric & Body: Crisp, clean original paper stock with firm body, bright surfaces, and minimal handling wear.

  • Cancellation Punches: Two clean round circular holes punched near the top and bottom central borders (standard banking practice indicating legal cancellation upon redemption in 1912).

  • Color & Inks: Crisp black typeset text over a fine green safety-tint underprint, complemented by a bright red-orange coupon serial number 92. The reverse displays a sharp, deep forest-green security vignette.

  • Surfaces: Completely free of tears, tape, liquid stains, or pencil/ink graffiti.