Bank note reporter

Bank note reporters or counterfeit detectors^[a] were periodicals published in the United States in the mid-19th century. They were generally used by businesses for two purposes: to identify counterfeit bank notes, and to determine the discount rate for notes from distant banks.

Before the establishment of a uniform paper currency in the United States each of the country's hundreds of banks issued its own distinct notes which led to widespread counterfeiting. Bank note reporters helped merchants and bankers to authenticate notes by providing descriptions of genuine bank notes and up to date information on the latest counterfeit bills being passed around.

While the notes of local banks generally traded at par because they could be readily redeemed at the bank for specie (i.e. silver or gold coins) notes issued by more distant banks traded at a discount. These discounts were proportional to the distance of the bank (and hence the difficulty of redeeming its notes) and were also affected by the perceived reliability or solvency of the bank. Bank note reporters listed these discount rates for the use of merchants who might be offered a variety of notes as payment and for banks and note brokers.

The first bank note reporter was published in 1826. The genre was in decline by 1866 shortly after the end of the free banking era as the multiplicity of state bank notes was replaced by a national paper currency.

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