Rare Bank Notes, Going, Going . . .

A collection of rare 19th-Century bank notes and printers’ proofs goes on the block this week at Christie’s.

The J.W. Middendorf II collection features notes issued by wildcat banks before the Civil War. The notes give vivid snapshots of the nation’s past:

* A $100 note printed by the Bank of Rhode Island in Newport depicts the Battle of Bunker Hill.

* A $10 note from the Bank of Selma in Selma, Ala., pictures workers loading bales of cotton onto a wagon.

James Lamb of Christie’s called the sale a natural move for a distinguished collector.

“A collector,” he said, “having taken private pleasure from building it, wants some sort of recognition for having done it.”