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Former headquarters, the American Bank Note Company Building at 70 Broad Street, Manhattan

Key Information

Printing plant in the South Bronx

American Banknote Corporation (parent to American Bank Note Company), trading as ABCorp, is an American corporation providing contract manufacturing and related services to the authentication, payment and secure access business sectors. ABCorp’s history, through American Bank Note Company or ABN, dates back to 1795 as a secure engraver and printer, and assisting the newly formed First Bank of the United States to design and produce more counterfeit resistant currency. The company has facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

History

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Origins

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In 1795, Robert Scot, the first official engraver of the U.S. Mint, founded Murray, Draper, Fairman & Company (spelled Fairham in some sources),[1] which was named for Scot's three partners. Its products included stock and bond certificates, paper currency for the nation's thousands of state-chartered banks, postage stamps (from 1879 to 1894), and a wide variety of other engraved and printed items.

In the nineteenth century

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On April 29, 1858, following the Panic of 1857, seven prominent security printers merged to form the American Bank Note Company. The new company made New York City its headquarters. Less than two years later, the remaining handful of independent bank note printers merged to form the National Bank Note Company.

To be close to the stock exchanges, brokerage firms, and banks in lower Manhattan, the American Bank Note Company established its headquarters in the Merchants Exchange Building at 55 Wall Street in Manhattan. The company moved its office and plant to 142 Broadway (at the corner of Liberty Street) in 1867, to another new facility at 78–86 Trinity Place in 1882, and again to 70 Broad Street in 1908.

The first federally issued paper currency was circulated by the US Treasury Department following the outbreak of the American Civil War. Congress passed authorizing legislation for $60 million worth of these "Demand Notes" on July 17 and August 5, 1861. Under contract with the government, the novel paper money, called "greenbacks" by the public, was produced by the American Bank Note Co. and the National Bank Note Co. A total of 7.25 million notes were produced in denominations of $5, $10, and $20. American and National were also producing paper money for the Confederacy at the same time.

100 pesos Banco Italiano del Uruguay (1887)
American Bank Note Company, Share certificate (1944)

Following the initial production of U.S. currency by the government's Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1862, ABN sought a new business abroad. The company eventually supplied security paper and bank notes to 115 foreign countries.[2]

National Bank Note Company (1861–73) merged into ABN in 1873.

In 1877 Congress mandated that the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing be the sole producer of all United States currency. The security printing industry, finding a good deal of its work had evaporated, accordingly underwent a second major consolidation in 1879 and ABN absorbed Continental Bank Note companies in that year. At the time of the merger, Continental held the contract to produce U. S. Postage stamps, and this production continued under ABN.

In 1887, ABN won the second four-year contract to engrave and print postal notes for the U.S. Post Office. (New York's Homer Lee Bank Note Company produced these notes during the first contract period.) ABN assigned Thomas F. Morris, its Chief Designer, the task of re-designing this early money order. The paper for this contract (as for all Postal Notes and a massive number of official U.S. high security documents) was produced by Crane and Co. of Dalton, Massachusetts.

In 1891, ABN began producing a new form of negotiable instrument for a longtime customer: the American Express "Traveler's Cheque" demand notes. In its first year, American Express sold $9,120 worth the product.

In 1894, ABN completed the final contract for the private printing of U.S. Postage stamps. Perhaps the most popular were the Columbian Issue, one cent to $5 issues commemorating the voyages of Christopher Columbus and the 1892–93 Columbian Exposition in Chicago (for which they also printed the admission tickets). On July 1, 1894, American delivered its entire stamp-producing operation to the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., where U.S. stamps were still printed up into the 1990s.

In the twentieth century

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The American Bank Note Co. in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 1897–1911

In 1933, the company printed the second series of Bank Melli Iran banknotes.[3]

In 1943, the U.S. Post Office launched a series of thirteen stamps honoring the countries that had been overrun by the Axis during World War II. Each stamp featured a full-color reproduction of the flag of each of the occupied nations. While the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had previously issued bi-colored stamps, it did not have equipment for printing the necessary multi-colored flag images; and so, contracted with ABN to produce the stamps. Issued between June 1943 and November 1944, the Overrun Countries series reproduced the flags of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, Albania, Austria, Denmark, and Korea,[4]

From 1947 to 1948 the company printed the first 5.7 billion Deutsche Marks deployed after the Currency Reform of 1948.[5]

Today

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ABCorp is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with North American manufacturing facilities located in Boston, Massachusetts and Toronto, Ontario, and distribution services located in Columbia, Tennessee. The company maintains international facilities in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.

Landmark buildings

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The American Bank Note Company Building and American Bank Note Company Printing Plant were both built in 1908 and are both designated New York City Landmarks. The former is also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The buildings were sold in 1988 and 1985, respectively.

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See also

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References and sources

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
ABCorp is a global leader in secure manufacturing, payments, and authentication solutions, innovating at the intersection of security and technology. With roots tracing back to 1795 through the American Bank Note Company, the firm has over two centuries of expertise in security printing and related services. Today, ABCorp designs, manufactures, and personalizes contactless credit cards, produces highly detailed 3D-printed prototypes and parts, and delivers omnichannel content to enhance customer experiences across financial and commercial sectors. The company serves fintechs, financial institutions, and commercial enterprises by providing secure payment and retail cards, vital records, transaction documents, and integrated systems.

History

Origins and early development

ABCorp traces its origins to 1795, when Robert Scot, the inaugural engraver of the , established the firm Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. in alongside partners George Murray, , and Gideon Fairman. The company was formed specifically to produce banknotes for the First Bank of the , addressing the young nation's need for secure currency amid a fragmented reliant on colonial and foreign coinage. In its early years, the firm specialized in and printing colonial-style , government bonds, and stock certificates, employing copper plate techniques to embed intricate vignettes and geometric patterns that deterred counterfeiting. These methods, involving hand-engraved dies for detailed portraits and borders, produced notes with fine lines difficult to replicate by unauthorized printers, establishing a standard for in American financial documents. By the , the company had secured significant contracts, including the printing of the first U.S. postage stamps in 1847 through its affiliate Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, which introduced adhesive stamps featuring and to modernize postal payments. The firm's evolution culminated in the 1858 merger of seven engraving companies, including Murray, Draper, Fairman & Co. and the dominant Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, to form the American Bank Note Company (ABN). This consolidation centralized operations and positioned ABN to handle larger-scale printing, such as the initial national bank notes authorized by the National Banking Act of 1863, which standardized currency issuance across federally chartered banks. This period laid the groundwork for expanded production in the ensuing decades.

Expansion in the 19th century

Following the 1858 merger that consolidated seven engraving and printing firms into the American Bank Note Company, the enterprise rapidly solidified its position as a cornerstone of U.S. financial . This consolidation provided enhanced resources, skilled personnel, and centralized facilities, allowing the company to meet the growing demands of an expanding national banking system under the National Banking Acts of 1863 and 1864. By the 1870s, American Bank Note had become the primary printer for U.S. national bank notes, producing over 70% of the nation's and outputting tens of millions of notes annually to support economic stability during post-Civil War reconstruction. Technological innovations drove much of this expansion, particularly the adoption of plate engraving in the , which replaced softer plates with more durable ones capable of yielding up to 30,000 impressions per plate while enabling intricate designs and finer lines that deterred counterfeiting. This advancement not only increased production efficiency but also elevated the aesthetic and security standards of banknotes, contributing to a measurable decline in incidents as the decade progressed. Complementing these domestic achievements, the company ventured internationally, securing contracts to print banknotes for in the and producing securities for Latin American governments, including and , which helped establish its reputation as a global leader in secure printing. Among its notable outputs during this period were the engravings for Civil War-era bonds, which financed Union efforts and circulated in vast quantities, as well as the first U.S. revenue stamps issued in to fund the war through taxation. These stamps, along with millions of additional fiscal documents produced annually, underscored the company's pivotal role in wartime and its capacity to scale operations amid national crisis. By the late , these milestones had transformed American Bank Note from its early 1795 roots in basic into a industrial powerhouse.

Growth and challenges in the 20th century

In the early , the American Bank Note Company solidified its position as a leader in secure printing by expanding internationally and innovating production techniques. Following its merger with the United States Bank Note Corporation, which streamlined operations and consolidated domestic subsidiaries, the company opened advanced facilities, including a major plant in in 1908. It secured contracts for printing banknotes and stamps for numerous countries, such as the second series of notes in 1933, while introducing in 1916 as an anti-counterfeiting measure. By the , diversification into immigration documents further broadened its portfolio beyond traditional currency and bonds. The posed significant challenges, but the company survived through strategic adaptations and key government support. In 1933, during the banking crisis and national Bank Holiday, it printed emergency for the New York Clearing House to facilitate limited transactions, helping stabilize local economies amid widespread bank closures. This period highlighted the firm's resilience, as it leveraged its expertise in high-security printing to pivot toward non-currency products like stock certificates and traveler's checks, which had been a staple since the late . Economic pressures forced cost-cutting, yet the company's established reputation for precision engraving—rooted in 19th-century techniques—enabled it to maintain operations without major layoffs. During , the American Bank Note Company played a critical role in supporting the war effort through secure document production. It printed military payment certificates, war bonds, and ration stamps, with output contributing to the U.S. government's financial mobilization; for instance, it assisted in producing over 61 million War Savings bonds in 1917 during as a precursor to larger wartime scales in . In 1943, the firm also handled the "Overrun Nations" series for the U.S. and destroyed stocks of Philippine banknotes in to prevent capture by Japanese forces. These efforts peaked production values in the billions, underscoring the company's capacity for rapid, secure scaling under wartime demands. Post-war, it shifted focus to international passports and identification documents, beginning U.S. printing in the and expanding to serve over 115 countries by 1958. In the late , intensifying competition from the , which dominated domestic currency production, led to the loss of certain U.S. government contracts and prompted further diversification. By the 1980s, the company faced revenue pressures from this rivalry, accelerating its entry into emerging technologies like ; it began producing stock in 1954 and advanced to full secure printing by the 1970s. Major international deals, such as printing 300 million for in the , offset domestic setbacks, while innovations like holographic security elements in 1991 enhanced its global competitiveness. These adaptations, including a 1990 merger forming the for $104 million, helped navigate economic volatility, though debt from acquisitions contributed to financial strains by the late .

Modern era and rebranding

In 2008, the American Bank Note Company, a historic secure firm, was acquired by the American Banknote Corporation to bolster its market position and broaden its service offerings beyond traditional into integrated security solutions. This acquisition marked a pivotal shift, enabling the combined entity to leverage centuries of expertise while adapting to digital demands. By 2016, the company consolidated its regional brands under the unified global identity of ABCorp, reflecting its evolution from a printer to a multifaceted provider of and payment technologies. During the 2010s, ABCorp expanded significantly into digital security innovations, including chip-enabled payment cards and authentication systems. In 2019, the company partnered with NEXT Biometrics to develop fingerprint-scanning cards, enhancing fraud prevention for financial transactions. This period also saw ABCorp secure contracts for producing high-security government identification cards, incorporating advanced features compliant with standards such as the U.S. to ensure tamper-resistant credentials for federal access. These advancements built on its 20th-century printing legacy, transitioning from analog engravings to hybrid systems that integrate physical and digital verification. In recent years, ABCorp has pioneered secure additive manufacturing through the launch of its ABCorp 3D division in 2021, utilizing HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to produce high-volume, end-use parts. This initiative focuses on 3D-printed secure components for critical sectors, including applications where precision and confidentiality are paramount, such as lightweight structural elements and authentication-embedded prototypes. By 2023, the division expanded capabilities with metal binder jetting for parts, further emphasizing secure, scalable production. As of , ABCorp operates nine global facilities across multiple countries, serving clients in over 120 nations with a focus on hybrid analog-digital solutions to counter escalating cyber threats. The company's emphasis on integrated technologies, from biometric cards to 3D-printed secure hardware, positions it as a leader in safeguarding commerce amid digital vulnerabilities, with annual revenues estimated at $173.5 million.

Products and services

Secure printing solutions

ABCorp's secure printing solutions have long centered on high-security production for financial and governmental documents, leveraging advanced techniques to deter counterfeiting. Historically, the company pioneered printing using intaglio methods, where intricate designs are engraved on or plates to create raised impressions that are difficult to replicate. This approach was employed for U.S. state-chartered banks in the and expanded to central banks in over 40 countries, including , , , and others, by the late 1800s. Modern iterations incorporate features such as and holographic elements, enhancing durability and authenticity without specifying substrates in current operations. In document security, ABCorp has provided printing for certificates and other secure credentials, featuring embedded security threads and UV-reactive inks that remain invisible under normal light but fluoresce under examination, allowing for covert verification. The company's expertise extends to biometric-integrated secure IDs, supporting official documents for governments worldwide. ABCorp's role in secure credential manufacturing aligns with advanced applications through its membership in the Document Security Alliance. For and bond printing, ABCorp offers historical and ongoing services for securities. These incorporate guilloche patterns—intricate, fine-line geometric designs generated by geometric lathes—to create forgery-resistant backgrounds. The techniques evolved from 19th-century hand-engraving, ensuring high-fidelity reproduction that complicates unauthorized duplication. ABCorp's anti-counterfeiting measures include detailed processes such as rainbow printing for color gradients and latent images that appear only under specific lighting or angles. Special inks with solubility properties and safety papers that stain upon tampering further bolster protection, as seen in early 20th-century innovations like the ABNCO Safety Paper with embedded planchettes. These methods have been applied across clients in over 120 countries, contributing to trusted secure for financial institutions and governments, though specific quantitative impacts like percentage reductions in counterfeiting are not publicly detailed.

Payment and authentication technologies

ABCorp offers a suite of digital and hybrid technologies designed to facilitate secure processing and robust identity verification, leveraging its long-standing expertise in secure as a foundational layer for physical card production. These solutions emphasize frictionless transactions while mitigating risks associated with fraud and unauthorized access, serving financial institutions, governments, and commercial entities globally. In the realm of card solutions, ABCorp specializes in the production of contactless EMV-compliant payment cards embedded with NFC chips, enabling seamless tap-to-pay functionality at point-of-sale terminals. The company provides end-to-end personalization services, including data encoding and customization, to meet the needs of major banks and credit unions, ensuring compliance with industry security standards for debit, credit, and commercial cards. For instance, ABCorp's instant issuance capabilities allow for on-demand card production and activation, reducing issuance times while maintaining high-security protocols. ABCorp's digital wallet platforms support tokenization to protect sensitive payment data, replacing card details with unique, non-sensitive tokens that minimize exposure during mobile transactions and comply with established security guidelines. Launched as part of their Digital Issuance offerings, these solutions integrate directly with popular digital wallets such as and , allowing for immediate provisioning of virtual cards and one-time-use security tokens to enhance user convenience without compromising safety. This approach streamlines API-driven interactions for issuers, enabling scalable deployment in ecosystems. For biometric integration, ABCorp has pioneered hardware-software combinations that incorporate scanning into smart cards and identity documents, advancing secure authentication for both payments and . In 2019, ABCorp partnered with NEXT Biometrics to develop EMV-enabled cards featuring advanced sensors, which authenticate users via direct card contact, reducing reliance on traditional PINs or passwords. Additionally, the company has integrated features into ID cards for enhanced verification in secure environments, such as government-issued credentials. ABCorp's protocols include NFC-based systems like Tap to Authenticate, which enables real-time verification of online purchases using a user's physical card and , thereby eliminating additional passwords and curbing fraud in card-not-present scenarios. Complementing this, their Dynamic CVV technology generates time-sensitive card verification values, further deterring fraudulent transactions and associated costs for issuers by integrating with existing platforms. These methods collectively strengthen multi-factor verification processes, fostering greater trust in digital .

Additive manufacturing innovations

ABCorp introduced its additive manufacturing division in 2021 with the launch of the ABCorp 3D platform, which employs metal and techniques to fabricate tamper-evident components for high-security applications. This platform builds on the company's heritage in secure production, enabling the creation of customized parts that integrate elements directly into the manufacturing process. The ABCorp 3D platform supports applications in producing secure enclosures for , including RFID-integrated tags embedded within automotive components to prevent counterfeiting and ensure . Additionally, it facilitates for defense contracts, where durability and verification are paramount, allowing for on-demand fabrication of specialized hardware that meets stringent regulatory standards. Key security features of the platform include the embedding of micro-chips during layered , which creates verifiable authentication points within the part's structure. Multi-material fusion processes further enhance forgery resistance by combining polymers and metals in ways that render disassembly or replication detectable, ensuring integrity from production to deployment. As of October 2025, ABCorp 3D expanded its capabilities with the addition of HP JF580 full-color 3D printers, automated inspection, and industrial drying systems, supporting advanced secure manufacturing across industries.

Operations and facilities

Headquarters and key locations

ABCorp's global headquarters is situated at 225 Rivermoor Street in Boston, Massachusetts, serving as the central hub for executive leadership, research and development, and strategic operations since its relocation from previous sites. The Boston facility, which includes a Center of Excellence for manufacturing, supports the company's focus on secure payment solutions and additive manufacturing innovations, and it achieved FDA registration in 2022 to enable production of medical devices. This move underscores ABCorp's evolution from its historical roots in New York City, where its former headquarters at 70 Broad Street was designated a New York City landmark in 1997 for its architectural and historical value tied to the company's engraving legacy dating back to 1795. In the United States, ABCorp maintains key production facilities beyond , including a major manufacturing site at 711 Armstrong Lane in , which specializes in high-security printing and card production, and another at 820 F Avenue in , focused on technologies and . These sites collectively employ approximately 777 staff across North American operations, contributing to the company's capacity to serve clients in , , and healthcare sectors. ABCorp's facilities preserve historical plates and dies from as early as , reflecting its enduring role in secure document production. Internationally, ABCorp operates manufacturing plants in , , which handles secure document and card personalization, and in , (near ), established as part of post-2000 global expansions to support regional securities and identification solutions. Additional offices exist in , , , and , enabling service to over 120 countries and facilitating compliance with diverse regulatory standards. With nine locations worldwide as of 2025, these sites were developed through strategic acquisitions and partnerships since the early 2000s, enhancing ABCorp's worldwide footprint in secure manufacturing. While specific sustainability certifications like have not been publicly detailed for ABCorp's sites, the company's operations emphasize secure, efficient facilities that align with industry standards for environmental responsibility in high-security production.

Production capabilities and landmark projects

ABCorp possesses advanced high-volume capabilities through the use of automated intaglio presses that ensure precise and tamper-resistant output. These presses employ recessed plate technology to create intricate designs resistant to counterfeiting, supporting applications in , identification, and financial instruments. ABCorp maintains dedicated innovation labs focused on developing hybrid print-digital prototypes that combine physical substrates with embedded technologies. These labs include rooms equipped for precise chip embedding, allowing for the testing of integrated circuits in secure documents without contamination risks. This infrastructure supports and validation of next-generation solutions. The company's includes specialized engraver programs that train artisans in traditional hand-engraving skills, preserving craftsmanship essential for high-security applications. These programs complement robotic systems, enabling a hybrid approach where artisanal precision informs automated scaling, ensuring both quality and efficiency in production. ABCorp employs 501-1,000 staff globally as of 2025.

References

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