ABCorp
Credit card manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts
title: "ABCorp" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["abcorp", "postal-history-of-the-united-states", "printing-companies-of-the-united-states", "banknote-printing-companies", "publishing-companies-established-in-1795", "companies-based-in-stamford,-connecticut", "companies-that-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-1999"] description: "Credit card manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABCorp" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Credit card manufacturer in Boston, Massachusetts ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | American Banknote Corporation |
| logo | ABCorp.png |
| trade_name | ABCorp |
| industry | Manufacturing, Finance, Printing |
| foundation | 1795 |
| location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| key_people | William J. Brown, CEO |
| homepage | |
| :: |
| name = American Banknote Corporation | logo = ABCorp.png | caption = | trade_name = ABCorp | type = | industry = Manufacturing, Finance, Printing | foundation = 1795 | location = Boston, Massachusetts | key_people = William J. Brown, CEO | products = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | subsid = | footnotes = | homepage = ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/American_Bank_Note_bldg_jeh.JPG" caption="Former headquarters, the [[American Bank Note Company Building]] at 70 Broad Street, [[Manhattan"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Amer_Bank_Note_Lafayette_Av_&_Baretto_St_sun_jeh.jpg" caption="Printing plant]] in the [[South Bronx"] ::
American Banknote Corporation (ABCorp), formerly known as the American Bank Note Company, is an American firm specializing in secure manufacturing. It provides secure manufacturing and related services for clients in the payment, authentication, identification, and access-control industries. ABCorp also offers secure additive manufacturing (3D printing) through its Additive Manufacturing Center (AMC) located in the United States. Its customers have included government agencies, fintechs, financial institutions, and private businesses in the United States and internationally. The company historically produced banknotes, stock certificates, postage stamps, and a wide range of engraved security documents.
History
Early origins
ABCorp traces its origins to Murray, Draper, Fairman & Company, an engraving and printing firm established in 1795 by Robert Scot, the first official engraver of the U.S. Mint. The company produced stock certificates, banknotes for state-chartered banks, and various engraved materials throughout the early 19th century.
Formation of the American Bank Note Company
In 1858, several prominent security printers merged to form the American Bank Note Company, headquartered in New York City. Additional consolidations followed; in 1879, the National Bank Note Company merged into ABN, and the company acquired the Continental Bank Note Company, which at the time held the U.S. Post Office’s stamp production contract.
During the American Civil War, ABN and the National Bank Note Company produced the federally issued “Demand Notes” under contract with the U.S. Treasury Department. After the Bureau of Engraving and Printing took over production of U.S. currency and postage stamps in the 1860s and 1870s, ABN expanded internationally, supplying banknotes and security paper to more than 100 countries.
20th-century developments
Throughout the 20th century, ABN continued producing secure documents for domestic and international clients, including postage stamps, traveler’s cheques, currency, and government-issued identification documents. The company also operated facilities outside the United States, including a plant in Ottawa, Canada.
Modern operations
In 1999, American Banknote filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but emerged from it in 2002 after achieving a restructured balance sheet.
Now operating as ABCorp, the company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It maintains manufacturing operations in the United States and Canada. Additional facilities are located in Australia and New Zealand. Today, ABCorp focuses on secure payment cards, authentication technologies, secure access solutions, and additive manufacturing.
Landmark buildings
Several early ABCorp facilities in New York City are architecturally significant. The American Bank Note Company Building and the American Bank Note Company Printing Plant, both completed in 1908, are designated New York City Landmarks. One of them is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Gallery
File:Benjamin Franklin 1861 Issue-1c.jpg|Benjamin Franklin Issue of 1861 from the first series of US Postage Stamps produced by the National Bank Note Co (later merged into the American Bank Note Co. File:Columbus 1892 Issue-$5.jpg|The $5 Columbian stamp (1893), from the last US postage stamp issue produced by the American Banknote Corporation until 1944. File:Beer revenue stamp proof single 1871.JPG|Beer revenue stamp proof single, 1871 File:Timbre penny post Canada 1898.jpg|Canadian 2 cent stamp, 1898 File:Lady of the Lightbulbs.jpg|1897 "Lady of the Light Bulbs" revenue stamp of Canada File:NSwik-stamp8c1860.jpg|Queen Victoria, Nova Scotia 8½ cent stamp, 1860 File:Pedro Álvares Cabral - steel engraving by American Bank Note Company.jpg|Pedro Álvares Cabral - steel engraving by American Bank Note Company File:1916 2c Colombia specimen revenue stamp.jpg|Colombia 1916 specimen revenue stamp File:NBG banknote-1912.jpg|Greek bank note of 1912 for the National Bank of Greece File:Overrun countries Korea flag stamp.png|US Stamp from the "Overrun Countries series," showing the pre-1905 flag of Korea (similar to the modern flag of South Korea). File:US Printed Dutch Guilder.png|Dutch Guilder printed for the Dutch government-in-exile, 1943 File:E-3 1000 TL on.jpg|1000 Turkish lira printed by ABCorp in 1946 File:YUG-21a-National Bank-Kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes-10 Dinara (1920).jpg|The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats & Slovenes, 10 Dinara (1920)
References and sources
References
|title=AC 1285: American Bank Note Company records |url=https://sirismm.si.edu/EADpdfs/NMAH.AC.1285.pdf |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of American History |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=American Bank Note Company Experimental Stamp Printing Plate |url=https://www.minterrornews.com/features-6-10-20-american-bank-note-company-experimental-stamp-printing-plate.html |publisher=Mint Error News |date=2020-06-10 |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=Peter C. J. DeBarry (printer) |url=https://old.lva.virginia.gov/virginiaprint/bios/bio.php?id=372 |publisher=Library of Virginia |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=American Bank Note Company (1879–1893) |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/about-us-stamps-classic-period-1847-1893/american-bank-note-company-1879-1893 |publisher=Smithsonian National Postal Museum |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=Record ID 178515 |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?idnumber=178515&app=fonandcol&ecopy= |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=Bureau of Engraving and Printing Document |url=https://www.bep.gov/media/1066/download?inline |publisher=Bureau of Engraving and Printing |access-date=2025-11-21
|last=Hessler |first=Gene |title=The Engraver’s Line: An Encyclopedia of Paper Money & Postage Stamp Art |publisher=BNR Press |year=1993 |page=19 |isbn=0-931960-36-3
|last=Griffiths |first=W. Handsel |title=The Story of American Bank Note Company |year=1959 |publisher=[publisher not listed]
|title=Record ID 158243 |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?idnumber=158243&app=fonandcol&ecopy= |publisher=Library and Archives Canada |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=ABCorp Group Company Profile |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/971725Z:US |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=ABCorp Group (Australasia) Pty Ltd |url=https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.abcorp_group_(australasia)_pty_ltd.6d30257e15173e5cc0c63113048c3dde.html |publisher=Dun & Bradstreet |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=ABCorp NZ Limited |url=https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company_profiles.abcorp_nz_limited.e881ce7a118ff147a528d3c48c9e3a0e.html |publisher=Dun & Bradstreet |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=St. George’s Church Designation Report |publisher=NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission |date=1997 |url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1955.pdf |access-date=2025-11-21
|title=National Archives Catalog Record: ID 75319245 |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319245 |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |access-date=2025-11-21
Sources
- Antecedents of the American Bank Note Company of 1858 by Foster Wild Rice
- The Story of the American Bank Note Company by William H. Griffiths
- America's Money America's Story by Richard Doty
- The Comprehensive Catalog of U.S. Paper Money by Gene Hessler
References
- (October 17, 2002). "American Banknote Emerges From Bankruptcy".
- Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps
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