Orville Wright Bank Ledger 1918-1934

ORVILLE WRIGHT

Personal Bank Passbook, Dayton, Ohio, 1918–1934

Estimate 25,000 to 45,000.

Small leather-bound bank passbook issued by The City National Bank, Dayton, Ohio, to aviation pioneer Orville Wright, co-inventor with Wilbur Wright of the first successful powered airplane.

Octavo passbook with embossed leather cover titled “The City National Bank — Dayton, Ohio,” the front featuring an oval cut-out label reading “In account with Orville Wright.” Interior title page similarly inscribed in manuscript.

The volume contains extensive handwritten banking entries spanning 11 December 1918 through 28 October 1934, recording deposits, withdrawals, and running balances entered by bank clerks in ink and pencil.

Numerous transactions involve substantial sums, including deposits exceeding $50,000 and balances frequently above $30,000–$100,000, reflecting Wright’s considerable personal wealth during the decades following the commercialization of his aviation patents and engineering work.

The entries document Wright’s financial activity during a mature phase of his life when he remained a central figure in aeronautics, serving on the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and maintaining influence within American aviation circles.

The ledger provides a rare continuous record of Wright’s personal finances in Dayton across sixteen years, covering the period between the First World War and the early years of the Great Depression.

Notable Transactions

Several entries stand out within the ledger:

December 1918

Initial entries include deposits exceeding $51,000, indicating a substantial starting balance shortly after World War I.

Early 1920s

Repeated deposits between $5,000 and $30,000, likely reflecting investment income and residual licensing revenues from aviation patents.

Circa 1929–1930

One entry records a $20,000 transaction, an exceptionally large sum for the period.

1930s entries

Balances continue to fluctuate between roughly $30,000 and $50,000, demonstrating Wright’s continued financial stability during the early Depression years.

In addition to major deposits, the book records routine withdrawals and payments, offering insight into Wright’s everyday expenditures and financial management.

Historical Importance

Personal financial records of the Wright brothers are exceedingly scarce outside institutional archives. While individual signed checks occasionally appear on the market, a complete banking ledger documenting sixteen years of financial activity provides an unusually intimate look at the economic life of one of the founders of modern aviation.

Such records illuminate the transformation of the Wright brothers’ early experimental work into a lasting financial enterprise through patents, licensing agreements, and consulting work.

Provenance

Acquired from the Wright family estate in the Miller sale.

Condition

Moderate wear to leather covers; interior pages toned with handling marks and occasional ink smudging consistent with long-term use; writing legible throughout.

1. The Opening Deposit — December 1918

One of the first entries shows a deposit around:

$51,537.99

For context:

In 1918, this equals roughly $1.1–$1.2 million today.

Why this matters:

1918 was right after World War I, when aircraft production exploded. Wright had already sold the Wright Company in 1915 but still had patent settlements and investments.

This opening deposit likely represents:

• investment income

• settlement payments

• accumulated aviation patent royalties

It establishes that Wright entered the postwar period extremely wealthy.

2. A Massive Balance Entry (~$99,000)

Another page shows a balance around:

$99,958

That equals roughly:

$2.5–3 million today

For a private individual in Dayton in the 1920s, this is enormous.

It confirms Wright was among the wealthiest private citizens in Dayton during that era.

3. The $20,000 Deposit (around 1930)

One page clearly shows:

$20,000

During the Great Depression era.

Adjusted value today:

~$380,000

Possible sources include:

investment income

patent licensing

consulting or engineering payments

Even during the Depression, Wright was still receiving very large payments.

4. Regular Deposits Between $5,000–$30,000

Throughout the book there are repeated entries like:

$5,362.25

$6,029.10

$9,503

$12,539

$15,275

$19,472

These likely reflect:

• dividend payments

• investment income

• licensing revenues from aviation technology

Wright was known to maintain large investment portfolios after selling the Wright Company.

5. Evidence of Daily Personal Spending

One fascinating page (the last image) lists expenses such as:

Ohio Bell Telephone Co.

Dayton Power & Light

William Lewis (several days wages)

Saturday Evening Post subscription

Aviation magazine subscription

drugstore items

This page is extraordinary because it shows ordinary life for the inventor of the airplane.

Example entries:

Mercurochrome

Peroxide

Snuff

Electric bills

telephone bills

6. The Aviation Magazine Entry

One line reads:

“Aviation — 1 yr subscription”

This is almost certainly the early aviation trade journal Aviation Magazine.

That means Wright was actively following developments in aviation decades after 1903.

7. The Personal Ledger Page (Extremely Interesting)

The page listing expenses is probably not bank-entered.

The handwriting appears personal.

We can provide photos of all pages to bidders.