RARE 1862 Phenix House (Hotel) 10 Cents Merchant Scrip Note - Very Scarce Type; Phenix House Variety - 1862 Concord NH Ten Cent Banknote

This listing is for the photographed Very Rare 1862 Phenix House/Hotel 10 Cent Merchant Scrip Remainder Note. Printed in Concord, New Hampshire on November 1st, 1862. This note is a very rare type, as it has been printed with the name "Phenix House" printed vertically on the right side of the obverse, rather than the more common variety that has "Phenix Hotel" printed. LaFond gives this note a rarity of R7, with only 2-5 notes currently known. Almost Uncirculated (AU) grade/condition, little to no signs of circulation, two cancellation punch holes, crisp note! Extremely rare find with an incredibly interesting history! Must have for any collection!

The Phenix Hotel is one of the most influential locations in the city of Concord, if not the entire state of New Hampshire. The hotel was founded in 1817, often serving as a popular meeting place among prominent businessmen and politicians from across the state. The hotel gained popularity because it offered several stagecoach lines that traveled to and from several points across the state, making the hotel an easy central meeting point for statewide business and political meetings. The hotel operated with immense success throughout the early to mid-19th century, even expanding to include a banquet hall, aptly named Phenix Hall, in 1855. A fire in December of 1856 destroyed the hotel building, halting operations at the hotel for nearly four years. In 1860, the hotel was rebuilt and began operating with the same level of success they had experienced prior to the fire. That same year, future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech at Phenix Hall during his presidential campaign. The hotel was chosen as the location of the speech because of its established history as a meeting place for members of the Whig party, whom Lincoln was trying to gain supporters. The famous actor Edwin Wilkes Booth, brother of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth, performed Shakespeare for two nights in 1872 at Phenix Hall. One of the shows, in which he played Hamlet, saw the largest crowd ever gathered for a theater performance in the city. Another fire destroyed Phenix Hall in 1893, after which the New Phenix Hall was built in 1895. Another president, Theodore Roosevelt, also gave a speech at the New Phenix Hall in 1912, continuing the legacy of the political importance of the Phenix Hotel. 

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RARE 1862 Phenix House (Hotel) 10 Cents Merchant Scrip Note - Very Scarce Type; Phenix House Variety - 1862 Concord NH Ten Cent Banknote