BALTIMORE Maryland
Eaton & Burnett’s Business College Bank
25¢ May 1, 1878
~ 3 3/8 X 2 inches
This Eaton & Burnett’s Business College Bank 25¢ tuition note is precisely dated May 1, 1878, placing it in the late Reconstruction period when private business colleges flourished in urban centers like Baltimore. These institutions often issued internal “bank” notes redeemable only for tuition or fees, both as accounting tools and as practical exercises in commercial education.
The steamboat vignette reflects 19th‑century commerce and transportation, reinforcing the school’s emphasis on real‑world business training. Such notes were never legal tender; they functioned as educational scrip, mirroring contemporary banking practices students were expected to master.
1870s educational currency!