Unit | |
---|---|
Symbol | $ or C$ |
Denominations | |
Subunit | |
1⁄100 | cent |
Symbol | |
cent | ¢ |
Banknotes | 50¢, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000 |
Coins | 50¢, 1¢ |
Demographics | |
Date of introduction | April 1861 |
Date of withdrawal | 1865 |
User(s) | Confederate States |
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. |
The Confederate States dollar was first issued just before the outbreak of the American Civil War by the newly formed Confederacy. It was not backed by hard assets, but simply by a promise to pay the bearer after the war, on the prospect of Southern victory and independence. As the Civil War progressed and victory for the South seemed less and less likely, its value declined. After the Confederacy's defeat, its money had no value, and individuals and banks lost large sums.
The first series of Confederate paper money, issued in March 1861, bore interest and had a total circulation of $1,000,000. [1] As the war began to turn against the Confederates, confidence in the currency diminished, and the government inflated the currency by continuing to print unbacked banknotes. By the end of 1863, the Confederate dollar (or "Greyback", to distinguish it from the then-new "Greenback" paper U.S. dollar, which was likewise put into circulation during the war) was quoted at just six cents in gold, and fell further still.
The Greyback is now a prized collector's item, in its many versions, including those issued by individual states and local banks. The various engravings of leading Confederates, gods and goddesses, trains, ships, and slaves on these hastily printed banknotes, sometimes cut with scissors and signed by clerks, continue to stimulate debate among antique dealers, with even some of the counterfeit notes commanding high prices.
The Confederate dollar, often called a "Greyback", was first issued into circulation in April 1861, when the Confederacy was only two months old, and on the eve of the outbreak of the Civil War.
At first, Confederate currency was accepted throughout the South as a medium of exchange with high purchasing power. As the war progressed, confidence in the ultimate success waned, the amount of paper money increased, and their dates of redemption were extended further into the future. [2] Most Confederate currency carried the phrase across the top of the bill: "SIX MONTHS AFTER THE RATIFICATION OF A TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE CONFEDERATE STATES AND THE UNITED STATES" then across the middle, the "CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA WILL PAY [amount of bill] TO BEARER" (or "...WILL PAY TO BEARER [amount of bill]" or "...WILL PAY TO BEARER ON DEMAND [amount of bill]").
As the war progressed, the currency underwent the depreciation and soaring prices characteristic of inflation. For example, when news of the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg reached the public, the Confederate currency depreciated 20%. [3] Confederate President Jefferson Davis asked private citizens to restore the value of the Confederate dollar by mutually agreeing to sell and buy items only at reduced prices. [4] In October 1863, Confederate States Senator Louis Wigfall of Texas said that a Confederate soldier received $11 per month in pay, which was worth the same as $1 had been worth at the beginning of the war. [4] In September 1864, one Confederate dollar was worth the same as three cents of United States currency. [5] People tried to retain their wealth by buying gold to such an extent that, in Richmond, it was impossible to find someone who would sell their gold. [5] On Christmas Day, 1864, the Confederate dollar's worth had decreased to such an extent that a turkey sold for $155 and a ham for $300. [6] By the war's end, a cake of soap could sell for as much as $50, and an ordinary suit of clothes was $2,700. [7]
Near the end of the war, the currency became practically worthless as a medium of exchange. This was because, for the most part, Confederate currency was bills of credit, as in the Revolutionary War, not secured or backed by any assets. The only two exceptions were in Mississippi, where in 1862 a series of notes were issued with the backing of cotton stored by the state's planters and in Florida, where notes were backed, in theory, by public lands. [8] Just as the currency issued by the Continental Congress was deemed worthless (witness the phrase " not worth a Continental ;" and see The Federalist Papers , which also addressed this issue in the run-up to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution) because they were not backed by any hard assets, this too became the case with Confederate currency.[ citation needed ] Even though gold and silver may have been scarce, some economic historians [ who? ] have suggested that the currency would have retained a relatively material degree of value, and for a longer period of time, had it been backed by hard goods the Confederacy did have, such as cotton or tobacco. When the Confederacy ceased to exist as a political entity at the end of the war, the money lost all value as fiat currency.
The Confederacy, being limited in skilled engravers and printers as well as secure printing facilities, often had to make do with unrelated designs in early banknote issues. Some such were abstract depictions of mythological gods and goddesses, such as the Goddess of Liberty. Typical Confederate themes included naval ships and historical figures, including George Washington. Of the 72 notes issued by the Confederate States of America, five designs depicted slaves.
Since most engravers and bank plates were in the Northern states, Confederate printers used offset or lithographic process to copy scenes that had been used on whatever notes they had access to. Many variations in plates, printing and papers also appear in most of the issues, due in large part to the limits on commerce resulting from the Union blockade and the inadequate Confederate railroads in the American Civil War.
People featured on banknotes include Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, Christopher Memminger, Robert M. T. Hunter, Alexander H. Stephens, Jefferson Davis, Judah P. Benjamin, Clement Clay, George W. Randolph, and Lucy Holcombe Pickens, the wife of the Governor of South Carolina. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] There was also a bill featuring George Washington. [14]
Confederate Treasury Notes were hand signed by various clerks, with exception of the 50 cent issues that had the printed signatures of Robert Tyler and Edward C. Elmore. The first six notes issued were hand signed by the Register and Treasurer themselves. While hand signatures were considered an anti-counterfeiting tool, the sheer number of bills being produced could not reasonably be signed individually by two men each. Women were often hired as clerks to sign "for Register" and "for Treasurer". Up to 200 clerks were eventually hired for each.
As the Civil War continued, the cost of the war loomed large. Any precious metals available in the South often made their way to Europe to procure war goods. But the CSA did manage to mint a few coins. In 1861, Robert Lovett Jr. of Philadelphia was commissioned to design, engrave, and make a one cent piece for the Confederacy. On the obverse (front), he used the head of Minerva (French Liberty Head), which he had used on several store cards. The coins were struck using the then Federal standard of cupronickel for cent pieces. He made a few samples, of which only 12 are said to exist by the popular stories but research has shown that 14 are currently known to exist. Fearing prosecution for aiding the enemy, he stopped his work and hid the coins and dies in his cellar. The original dies were purchased later and used to make restrikes, first by John W. Haseltine and later by Robert S. Bashlow. The dies were donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Bashlow in 1962.
In the aftermath of secession, the Confederacy seized U.S. Mint facilities at Charlotte, North Carolina, Dahlonega, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana. After seizing and appropriating the bullion reserves stored at the facilities, the Confederate Treasury, led by C. G. Memminger, determined that the cost of minting coins far outweighed the benefits. Circulating specie would be virtually nonexistent in the Confederacy throughout the entirety of the war. A wide variety of local token and scrip would attempt to fill this void, to little avail.
In late April 1861, four Confederate half dollars were struck on a hand press by employees of the New Orleans Mint. Because of the high relief of the coin die, a test striking was made to determine if coins would release from the Confederate die. The die was made by a printing plate engraver (A.H.M. Peterson) in New Orleans who was unfamiliar with techniques required to engrave coining dies. These coins were struck using a U.S. obverse die (Seated Liberty) and the Confederate die made by Peterson. These coins are known as originals, and the location of all four of the coins is known today.
As the result of an 1879 article about the Confederate cent printed in a New York City newspaper, Benjamin F. Taylor, M.D. (Chief Coiner, New Orleans Mint, CSA) contacted coin dealer Ebenezer Mason. Taylor informed Mason of the existence of the Confederate half dollar and the die. Mason bought the die and coin from Taylor and sold them to J.W. Scott Co. of New York City, a coin and stamp dealer. Scott bought 500 1861 United States half dollars from a New York bank that were supposedly struck at the New Orleans Mint. Scott had the reverse of the half dollars planed down and performed a one-sided strike using the Confederate half dollar die. The Seated Liberty obverse of the coins were flattened some because of the one-sided strike. In addition, Scott struck 500 half dollar-sized tokens in white metal using the Confederate die and a newly made die to commemorate the restrikes of the Confederate half dollars. The Confederate half dollar die went missing during the 1920s and has not been seen since.
Popular stories claim one of the Confederate half dollars was given to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. This story has no basis in fact. In an 1879 letter to Ebenezer Mason, Davis confirmed that a Union soldier (actually a Federal Officer) stole a coin from one of his wife's trunks, but could not confirm that it was like the then known Confederate half dollar. It is possible that the coin was a gold so-called Jefferson Davis dime struck at the Paris (France) Mint, which Davis described to coin dealer Ed Frossard in an 1880 letter. All known Jefferson Davis dimes were struck in silver at the Paris Mint. The Davis letter is the only known reference to a gold specimen, which was likely a special presentation piece made for Davis.
Confederate Treasury Notes (banknotes) were ultimately issued in 50¢, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1,000 denominations with a variety of designs, issuers, and redeemable obligations. The amount of currency issued under the various acts of the Confederate Congress totaled $1.7 billion. Bills were released in 72 different note "types" in seven "series" from 1861 through 1864.
Since there were many types of Confederate notes as well as notes issued by the states of the Confederacy, and since banks could issue their own notes, counterfeiting was a major problem for the Confederacy. Many of these contemporary counterfeits are identifiable today and they can be as valuable to a collector as a real note. [15]
Confederate dollars and coins remain the subject of a lively trade, with careful grading of damage and deterioration similar to booksellers' gradings.
Series | Authorization | Amount | Denominations | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
First [16] | Act of March 9, 1861 Amended August 3, 1861 | $1,000,000 (i) $1,000,000 (ii) | $50, $100, $500, $1,000 (i) $50, $100 (ii) | Interest bearing at 3.65%, payable twelve months after date |
Second [17] | Act of May 16, 1861 | $20,000,000 | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | No interest, payable two years after date |
Third [18] | Act of August 19, 1861 Amended December 24, 1861 | $100,000,000 (i) $50,000,000 (ii) | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Funded by 8% bonds, payable six months after a treaty/peace between the U.S. and CSA |
Fourth [19] | Act of April 17, 1862 Amended September 23, 1862 | $170,000,000 (i) $5,000,000 (ii) | $1, $2, $10, $20, $100 | Introduced $1 and $2 notes, and $100 interest-bearing notes (2 cents per day) |
Fifth [20] | Act of October 13, 1862 | $90,000,000 [n 1] | $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Payable six months after ratification of a treaty. Lower denominations issued on pink paper |
Sixth [22] | Act of March 23, 1863 | $50,000,000 [n 2] | 50¢, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 | Payable two years after ratification of a treaty |
Seventh [24] | Act of February 17, 1864 | $200,000,000 [n 3] | 50¢, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 | Payable two years after ratification of a treaty |
Engraver/Printer | Location | Types printed | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
National Bank Note Company | New York, NY | 1–4 | Part of the American Bank Note Company |
Southern Bank Note Company | New Orleans, LA | 5, 6, 15, 19, 22, 31 | Southern branch of the American Bank Note Company [26] |
Hoyer & Ludwig | Richmond, VA | 7–11, 13–14, 17–18, 27–28, 35–36, 46 | Louis Hoyer and Charles Ludwig, in operation 1861–64 [27] |
Jules Manouvrier | New Orleans, LA | 12 | Lithographer, contracted to print $10 CSA notes. Some were stolen and entered circulation with forged signatures. Contract cancelled [28] |
Leggett, Keatinge & Ball | Richmond, VA | 23, 24, 32, 33 | Edward Keatinge (formerly a portrait engraver with the Southern Bank Note Company) joined Leggett & Ball shortly after the Civil War began. Leggett was forced out after being accused of spying for the Union, and the company became Keatinge & Ball. [29] |
Keatinge & Ball | Columbia, SC Richmond, VA | 16, 21, 25, 26, 34, 41, 49–62, 64–71 | In 1862, Keatinge & Ball moved to Richmond. [29] |
Blanton Duncan | Columbia, SC Richmond, VA | 20, 29, 30, 37, 38, 42–45 | Originally from Kentucky, Duncan moved to Richmond at the invitation of Christopher Memminger to open a paper mill and printing plant. [30] |
J.T. Patterson | Columbia, SC | 28, 36, 39, 40, | |
Archer & Daly | Richmond, VA | 63 | A lithographic firm specializing mainly in CSA stocks and bonds [31] |
Archer & Halpin | Richmond, VA | 72 |
Series/Date | Type [n 4] | Value | Image | Comments [n 5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
First Series | T–1 5 Apr 1861 21 Jun 1861 | $1,000 | John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson National Bank Note Company (607 issued) [34] | |
T–2 8 Apr 1861 23 Jul 1861 | $500 | Ceres, The Crossing (by James Smillie) National Bank Note Company (607 issued) [35] | ||
T–3 5 Apr 1861 21 Jun 1861 | $100 | Minerva, railroad National Bank Note Company (1,606 issued) [36] | ||
T–4 5 Apr 1861 21 Jun 1861 | $50 | Slaves working in a field National Bank Note Company (1,606 issued) [37] | ||
T–5 25 Aug 1861 23 Sep 1861 | $100 | Justice, Hudson River Railroad, Minerva Southern Bank Note Company (5,798 issued) [38] | ||
T–6 25 Aug 1861 23 Sep 1861 | $50 | Justice, Agriculture and Industry, George Washington Southern Bank Note Company (5,798 issued) [39] | ||
Second Series | T–7 29 Jul 1861 22 Oct 1861 | $100 | George Washington, Ceres, and Proserpina Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (37,155 issued) [40] [n 6] | |
T–8 29 Jul 1861 22 Oct 1861 | $50 | Tellus, George Washington Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (123,564 issued) [42] | ||
T–9 25 Jul 1861 26 Oct 1861 | $20 | Sailing ship Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (264,988 issued) [43] | ||
T–10 25 Jul 1861 2 Nov 1861 | $10 | Liberty (seated), Liberty (leaning on shield) Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (170,994 issued) [44] | ||
T–11 29 Jul 1861 7 Sep 1861 | $5 | Sailor (leaning), Liberty (seated) Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (73,355 issued) [45] | ||
T–12 | $5 | "Confederate States of America" Jules Manouvrier (New Orleans, LA) (15,556 issued) [46] | ||
Third Series | T–13 22 Oct 1861 16 Apr 1862 | $100 | Sailor (standing), slaves loading cotton Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (629,284 issued) [47] | |
T–14 22 Oct 1861 16 Apr 1862 | $50 | Sailors, Moneta with treasure chest Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (469,660 issued) [48] | ||
T–15 8 Jan 1862 15 May 1862 | $50 | Hope, Hudson River Railroad, Justice Southern Bank Note Company (14,860 issued) [49] | ||
T–16 17 Apr 1862 10 Dec 1862 | $50 | Jefferson Davis Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (425,944 issued) [50] | ||
T–17 14 Sep 1861 5 Nov 1861 | $20 | Liberty, Ceres between Commerce and Navigation Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (43,732 issued) [51] | ||
T–18 24 Oct 1861 16 Aug 1862 | $20 | Sailor, Sailing ship Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (2,366,486 issued) [52] | ||
T–19 8 Jan 1862 15 May 1862 | $20 | Minerva, Navigation, Blacksmith Southern Bank Note Company (14,860 issued) [53] | ||
T–20 21 Jun 1862 8 Dec 1862 | $20 | Alexander H. Stephens, Industry between Commerce and beehive B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (2,834,251 issued) [54] | ||
T–21 28 Jun 1862 15 Nov 1862 | $20 | Alexander H. Stephens Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (164,248 issued) [55] | ||
T–22 13 Nov 1861 15 May 1862 | $10 | Thetis, Native Americans, Female with X Southern Bank Note Company (58,860 issued) [56] | ||
T–23 15 Nov 1861 30 Dec 1861 | $10 | John E. Ward, Wagon of cotton, Corn gatherer Leggett, Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (20,333 issued) [57] | ||
T–24 20 Feb 1862 8 Dec 1862 | $10 | Robert M.T. Hunter (left); Reverend Alfred L. Elwyn (vignette, as child) Leggett, Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (278,400 issued) [58] | ||
T–25 12 May 1862 9 Aug 1862 | $10 | Robert M.T. Hunter (left); Hope; C.G. Memminger Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (178,716 issued) [59] | ||
T–26 12 Jul 1862 8 Dec 1862 | $10 | Robert M.T. Hunter (left); Hope; C.G. Memminger Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (514,400 issued) [60] | ||
T–27 26 Nov 1861 5 Dec 1861 | $10 | Liberty; Train Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (8,576 issued) [61] | ||
T–28 23 Jan 1862 13 Dec 1862 | $10 | Ceres and Commerce; Train Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) J.T. Patterson (Columbia, S.C.) (1,074,980 issued) [62] | ||
T–29 17 Mar 1862 13 Sep 1862 | $10 | Slave picking cotton; canal B. Duncan (Richmond, VA) (286,627 issued) [63] | ||
T–30 14 Jun 1862 3 Jan 1863 | $10 | Robert M.T. Hunter (left); engraving of the painting General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal by John Blake White; Minerva B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (1,939,810 issued) [64] | ||
T–31 13 Nov 1861 15 May 1862 | $5 | Navigation; Commerce, Agriculture, Justice, Liberty, and Industry; George Washington statue Southern Bank Note Company (58,860 issued) [65] | ||
T–32 15 Nov 1861 30 Dec 1861 | $5 | Boy; Machinist with hammer Leggett, Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (20,333 issued) [66] | ||
T–33 13 Mar 1862 19 Jun 1862 | $5 | C.G. Memminger; Minerva Leggett, Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (136,736 issued) [67] | ||
T–34 12 May 1862 8 Dec 1862 | $5 | C.G. Memminger; Minerva Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (228,644 issued) [68] | ||
T–35 26 Nov 1861 5 Dec 1861 | $5 | Slaves load cotton; Indian princess Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (7,160 issued) [69] | ||
T–36 31 Mar 1862 3 Jan 1863 | $5 | Sailor; Commerce (seated) Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) J.T. Patterson (Columbia, S.C.) (3,694,890 issued) [70] | ||
T–37 7 Apr 1862 13 Sep 1862 | $5 | C.G. Memminger; Sailor (seated); Justice and Ceres B. Duncan (Richmond, VA) (1,002,478 issued) [71] | ||
Fourth Series | T–38 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin; The South striking down the Union B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (~36,000 issued) [72] | |
T–39 | $100 | Milkmaid; train with straight steam Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) J.T. Patterson (Columbia, S.C.) (284,000 issued) [73] | ||
T–40 | $100 | Milkmaid; train with diffused steam J.T. Patterson & Co. (Columbia, S.C.) (214,400 issued) [74] | ||
T–41 | $100 | John C. Calhoun; Slaves working; Confederacy Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (670,400 issued) [75] | ||
T–42 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin; The South striking down the Union B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (1,520,000 issued) [76] | ||
T–43 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin; The South striking down the Union B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (194,900 issued) [77] | ||
T–44 | $1 | Liberty; Steamship at sea; Lucy Pickens B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (1,689,860 issued) [78] | ||
T–45 | $1 | Liberty; Steamship at sea; Lucy Pickens B. Duncan (Columbia, S.C.) (412,500 issued) [79] | ||
T–46 | $10 | Ceres; Robert M.T. Hunter Hoyer & Ludwig (Richmond, VA) (635,250 issued) [80] | ||
T–47 | $20 | Ceres; Robert M.T. Hunter Test pattern or fantasy note [81] | ||
T–48 | $10 | Ceres; Robert M.T. Hunter Test pattern or fantasy note [82] | ||
Fifth Series | T–49 | $100 | Soldiers; Lucy Pickens; George W. Randolph Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA) (628,640 issued) [83] | |
T–50 | $50 | Jefferson Davis Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA & Columbia, S.C.) (414,200 issued) [84] | ||
T–51 | $20 | Tennessee State Capitol; Alexander H. Stephens Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (776,800 issued) [85] | ||
T–52 | $10 | Proposed state capitol (Columbia, S.C.); Robert M.T. Hunter Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (3,060,000 issued) [86] | ||
T–53 | $5 | Virginia State Capitol; C.G. Memminger Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (2,833,600 issued) [87] | ||
T–54 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (607,000 issued) [88] | ||
T–55 | $1 | Clement Claiborne Clay Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (1,141,200 issued) [89] | ||
Sixth Series | T–56 | $100 | Soldiers; Lucy Pickens; George W. Randolph Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (1,950,400) [90] | |
T–57 | $50 | Jefferson Davis Keatinge & Ball (Richmond, VA and Columbia, S.C.) (2,349,600 issued) [91] | ||
T–58 | $20 | Tennessee State Capitol; Alexander H. Stephens Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (4,429,600 issued) [92] | ||
T–59 | $10 | Proposed state capitol (Columbia, S.C.); Robert M.T. Hunter Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (7,420,800 issued) [93] | ||
T–60 | $5 | Virginia State Capitol; C.G. Memminger Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (7,745,600 issued) [94] | ||
T–61 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (689,200 issued) [95] | ||
T–62 | $1 | Clement Claiborne Clay Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (1,645,600 issued) [96] | ||
T–63 | $0.50 | Jefferson Davis Archer & Daly (Richmond, VA) (1,831,517 issued) [97] | ||
Seventh Series | T–64 | $500 | Confederate seal and second national flag; Stonewall Jackson Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~154,000 issued) [98] | |
T–65 | $100 | Soldiers; Lucy Pickens; George W. Randolph Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~964,000 issued) [99] | ||
T–66 | $50 | Jefferson Davis Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (1,671,444 issued) [100] | ||
T–67 | $20 | Tennessee State Capitol; Alexander H. Stephens Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~4,150,000 issued) [101] | ||
T–68 | $10 | Horses pulling cannon; Robert M.T. Hunter Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~9,071,000 issued) [102] | ||
T–69 | $5 | Virginia State Capitol; C.G. Memminger Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~5,526,100 issued) [103] | ||
T–70 | $2 | Judah P. Benjamin Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~944,000 issued) [104] | ||
T–71 | $1 | Clement Claiborne Clay Keatinge & Ball (Columbia, S.C.) (~681,500 issued) [105] | ||
T–72 | $0.50 | Jefferson Davis Archer & Halpin (Richmond, VA) (~1,100,000 issued) [106] |
Federal Reserve Notes are the currently issued banknotes of the United States dollar. The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the notes under the authority of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and issues them to the Federal Reserve Banks at the discretion of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Reserve Banks then circulate the notes to their member banks, at which point they become liabilities of the Reserve Banks and obligations of the United States.
A United States Note, also known as a Legal Tender Note, is a type of paper money that was issued from 1862 to 1971 in the United States. Having been current for 109 years, they were issued for longer than any other form of U.S. paper money other than the currently issued Federal Reserve Note. They were known popularly as "greenbacks", a name inherited from the earlier greenbacks, the Demand Notes, that they replaced in 1862. Often termed Legal Tender Notes, they were named United States Notes by the First Legal Tender Act, which authorized them as a form of fiat currency. During the early 1860s the so-called second obligation on the reverse of the notes stated:
This Note is a Legal Tender for all debts public and private except Duties on Imports and Interest on the Public Debt; and is receivable in payment of all loans made to the United States.
A banknote – also called a bill, paper money, or simply a note – is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued by commercial banks, which were legally required to redeem the notes for legal tender when presented to the chief cashier of the originating bank. These commercial banknotes only traded at face value in the market served by the issuing bank. Commercial banknotes have primarily been replaced by national banknotes issued by central banks or monetary authorities.
Legal tender is a form of money that courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything which when offered ("tendered") in payment of a debt extinguishes the debt. There is no obligation on the creditor to accept the tendered payment, but the act of tendering the payment in legal tender discharges the debt.
Large denominations of United States currency greater than $100 were circulated by the United States Treasury until 1969. Since then, U.S. dollar banknotes have been issued in seven denominations: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.
Silver certificates are a type of representative money issued between 1878 and 1964 in the United States as part of its circulation of paper currency. They were produced in response to silver agitation by citizens who were angered by the Fourth Coinage Act, which had effectively placed the United States on a gold standard. The certificates were initially redeemable for their face value of silver dollar coins and later in raw silver bullion. Since 1968 they have been redeemable only in Federal Reserve Notes and are thus obsolete, but still valid legal tender at their face value and thus are still an accepted form of currency.
Samuel Curtis Upham was an American journalist, lyricist, merchant, bookkeeper, clerk, navy officer, prospector, and counterfeiter, during the later part of the 19th century, sometimes, known as "Honest Sam Upham".
The gold dollar or gold one-dollar piece is a gold coin that was struck as a regular issue by the United States Bureau of the Mint from 1849 to 1889. The coin had three types over its lifetime, all designed by Mint Chief Engraver James B. Longacre. The Type 1 issue has the smallest diameter of any United States coin minted to date.
The Confederate State of North Carolina issued currency during the years 1861, 1862, 1863 and 1864. The most recent state currency issue prior to this were the Colonial American banknotes issued during the 18th century. Many North Carolina banks also issued currency during this period.
Fractional currency, also referred to as shinplasters, was introduced by the United States federal government following the outbreak of the Civil War. These low-denomination banknotes of the United States dollar were in use between August 21, 1862, and February 15, 1876, and issued in denominations of 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 cents across five issuing periods. The complete type set below is part of the National Numismatic Collection, housed at the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution.
American Banknote Corporation, trading as ABCorp, is an American corporation providing contract manufacturing and related services to the authentication, payment and secure access business sectors. Its history 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.
This page is a glossary of notaphily. Notaphily is the study of paper money or banknotes.
Greenbacks were emergency paper currency issued by the United States during the American Civil War that were printed in green on the back. They were in two forms: Demand Notes, issued in 1861–1862, and United States Notes, issued in 1862–1865. A form of fiat money, the notes were legal tender for most purposes and carried varying promises of eventual payment in coin but were not backed by existing gold or silver reserves.
Interest bearing notes refers to a grouping of Civil War era paper money-related emissions of the US Treasury. The grouping includes the one- and two-year notes authorized by the Act of March 3, 1863, which bore interest at five percent per annum, were a legal tender at face value, and were issued in denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000. The grouping also frequently includes the early civil war treasury notes which matured in either sixty days or two years and bore interest at six percent and the seven-thirties which matured in three years and bore interest at 7.3 percent—though both of these latter issues lacked legal tender status. Reference texts used by currency collectors will also sometimes include compound interest treasury notes and Refunding Certificates in this grouping as well.
The Treasury Note was a type of representative money issued by the United States government from 1890 until 1893 under authority of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $1,000. It was issued in two series: an 1890 series with $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $100 and $1,000 denominations, and an 1891 series that added the $50 denomination. A $500 note was designed but never issued.
In early 18th century Colonial America, engravers began experimenting with copper plates as an alternative medium to wood. Applied to the production of paper currency, copper-plate engraving allowed for greater detail and production during printing. It was the transition to steel engraving that enabled banknote design and printing to rapidly advance in the United States during the 19th century.
US Treasury Department Specimen books, also known as BEP presentation albums, were published by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) from the mid-1860s through the 1910s. Prepared upon request of the United States Secretary of the Treasury, albums were generally presented to Cabinet members, select Members of Congress, diplomats and visiting dignitaries. Some extant albums still in their original binding bear the name of the recipient impressed in gold lettering on the cover. While no two presentation albums have exactly the same contents, each book usually contained portraits, vignettes, and/or images of buildings. Specimen books which contain whole proof images of currency are extremely rare.
A silver certificate is a certificate of ownership that silver owners hold instead of storing the actual silver. Several countries have issued silver certificates, including Cuba, the Netherlands, and the United States. Silver certificates have also been privately issued by various mints and bullion companies. One example was the Liberty Dollar issued by NORFED from 1998 to 2009.
The Black Eagle is a type of one-dollar silver certificate produced in 1899 in the United States. The note measured 7.38 in (187 mm) by 3.18 in (81 mm); it was of the large-size variety of bank-notes issued by the United States. The note featured a Bald eagle with its wings spread. The note was also referred to as "Eagle of the Capitol", because the United States Capitol is visible behind the eagle. The note was issued from 1899 to 1923 and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) printed 3,604,239,600 Black Eagles. Because of the large size, it is colloquially referred to as a "horseblanket".