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VB ID: VB-TN-CU-1940-01

Item: Heavy-Duty Canvas Currency/Depository Bag
Bank: Blount National Bank
City/State: Maryville, Tennessee
Approx. Era: 1930s–1940s
Material: Thick, industrial-grade cotton duck canvas
Color: Early khaki/tan
Markings:

• BLOUNT NATIONAL BANK
• MARYVILLE, TENN.
• Circular bank seal: “Blount National Bank/Maryville Tennessee/Member of Federal Reserve System”
  Closure: Metal grommets with original black cord drawstring
  Dimensions: (9×15 or 10×17)

VB ID: VB-TN-CU-1940-01
Category: Canvas Bank Bags → Tennessee Banks
Condition: Circulated, with period-appropriate wear, rust transfer, and ink aging
Internal Notes: Early Federal Reserve Member seal strongly suggests a pre-WWII production date.

Historical Background

This canvas currency bag originates from Blount National Bank of Maryville, Tennessee, a historic institution founded during a period when regional banks were cementing their identities in the growing Southern financial system. The presence of the Federal Reserve System membership seal is a key dating feature: this style of circular reserve logo was used heavily in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during the years of banking stabilization following the Great Depression and the Banking Act of 1935.

The khaki canvas, metal grommets, and stitched drawstring channel represent the construction methods used by early Federal Reserve supply contractors—before modern nylon, zipper, and stamped-ink production became widespread in the 1950’s. Bags of this era were used for daily transfers of bulk currency, coin, and sealed deposit envelopes between local branches and the Federal Reserve district processing centers.

Maryville’s Blount National Bank served as a central financial hub in Blount County during a time of substantial growth driven by regional manufacturing, agriculture, and the TVA’s expansion projects. Very few operational bags survive from this period, especially those retaining a readable imprint of the early Fed seal. The combination of bank-name typography, location marking, and the Federal Reserve membership circle makes this an especially desirable piece for collectors of early Southern banking memorabilia.