New Orleans Canal $50 Note Remainder

A mid-19th century obsolete fifty-dollar banknote from the New Orleans Canal & Banking Co., Louisiana. This note is an unissued remainder, featuring the printed year prefix 18 but lacking serial numbers, a complete date, and handwritten signatures for the Cashier and President. The obverse is printed in black ink with a large central vignette of a seated female figure representing Commerce or Abundance, surrounded by shipping barrels, an anchor, and sailing vessels. A smaller vignette at the lower left depicts a seated woman resting on a barrel, and a vertical vignette at the right shows a standing figure of Justice holding scales. The word FIFTY is printed in large, block, shaded letters across the center. The reverse displays a decorative red spall design featuring two circular counters with the numeral 50 and a central cartouche. A printed mark in the lower margin of both the front and back reads Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, N. Orleans & N.Y. The paper is light tan in color with uneven top and bottom edges consistent with being hand-cut from a sheet.