Capital Region Company Used To Make Official U.S. Currency

On May 13th, 2026, WGNA hosted Cole Goodwin for a Concert in a Cubicle at Crane Stationary in Latham, NY. The event was a blast, and Cole brought the house down, but Crane wasn't just any office.

They're one of the largest and most famed stationary companies in the world, and their history goes much deeper than just writing paper...

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The History of Crane Paper

Started by Stephen Crane in 1770, Crane began as the first paper mill west of the Connecticut river, printing paper currency for Paul Revere (yes, that Paul Revere). The company was officially founded in 1801 in Dalton, Massachusetts, and began making currency for local banks in the area.

Over the decades, they became the sole manufacturer of paper currency in the United States. In 1991, the company introduced America's first demetallized security thread, leaving counterfeit effectively dead in the water. Aside from money, Crane & Co. also pioneered paper collars, which were incredibly popular in the 1860s.

The Schism

The Currency and Stationary sides of the company had been getting further apart as we entered the 21st century, so in 2010, the two split to become Crane Currency and Crane Stationary. While the Currency division was still located in Massachusetts, the Stationary division was located to Latham, NY in 2024.

Now, Crane Stationary is the leading Stationary company in America, with some incredibly high profile clients. While I can't say the names we saw on our tour, I can tell you that they have provided stationary for politicians, popstars, and A-List actors across the United States...