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.
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.
