ND Money Auction - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

ND Money Auction

It's a way for you to buy delicate pieces of North Dakota history.

A live, on-line auction is taking place that features items from 124 towns from across the state.

It's a collection a Devils Lake man spent fifty years piecing together.

By the end of this weekend, that collection could fetch between two and three million dollars.

Take a look at these old North Dakota bank notes. Some are on the auction block for tens of thousands of dollars."The highest estimated note is coming from the bank out of Bismarck theoretically estimated up to 75 thousand.

There are 393 notes in all, representing 124 towns from all across North Dakota.

"This collection is unsurpassed in the state and basically in the nation," says Mark Halvorson of the State Historical Society.

A North Dakota man began collecting the notes in 1963. Now he's decided to sell the collection.

"A gentleman from Devils Lake spent fifty years accumulating a collection. He was a careful collector and some of the rarest pieces are appearing on the market--it's an auction it's being conducted over the internet and in person in Fargo at the Fargo Coin Show this coming weekend," says Halvorson.

Halvorson says the notes tell a piece of North Dakota's history. Old banks from Mott, to Williston and Monango had these notes printed. The state historical society has two in its collection, one from Valley City and another from Fargo featuring former governor Louis B. Hanna.

of Fargo, First National Bank of Bismarck, or of Van Hook or Ashley--they were then signed by bank officers, cut into separate notes and circulated into the economy," says Halvorson.

One of Halvorson's favorites is this note from Lidgerwood, half eaten after being recovered by a chicken coop.

If that doesn't get your interest... imagine the value of these treasure--WITH interest.

There are some notes that are in price from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity," says Mark Halvorson of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

The collection belongs to Glen Jorde of Devils Lake. If you would like to view the collection on-line and make a bid, go to www.lynknight.com. The bidding ends Saturday.