Louisiana obsolete currency note found in stamp collection

Hi all,

I'm a total rookie when it comes to paper notes and currency, but I know where to go ask.

I came across this in a stamp collection I picked up at auction. It was buried behind another sheet of stamps. Gotta love hidden treasure.

Can anyone help me identify whether this is real or a copy? It's on an old parchment paper that is really turning brown. It's been sitting in a PVC slip in a stamp collection - for I'm guessing at least 20-30 years. This usually means that it's old and the PVC got to it, or someone intentionally aged it, and I don't know how to tell the difference.

It is a full sheet as far as I can see, there is a crease in the middle - it was folded in half to store in the binder....in pvc... (double-uhg!).

The back is blank, but the front does show through.

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment on this!

 

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I seem to recall these uncut unissued sheets being fairly common in the 1960s when all broken bank notes were a lot cheaper. Not seen any lately but a search should throw up comparables.

 

Brett, I'm not to good at these but I can tell you the back being blank is normal. It's in great condition. The fold to me is minor as it's not on the bill but between the bills. Look for pin holes, if none that's fantastic. The small edge tears, bent corners and staining are normal but they will lower the value a little.

I don't see any signatures. Usually 2 people signed these bills, one on the left and the other on the right. I also do not see a serial number, again that should be hand written by the two individuals that signed the bill. I can see the date of 18 but I can't see the last 2 years. If the signatures, serial number and dates are missing then these were never legally issued notes.

The key to them lies in identifying the figures on the notes. For their age and the way they were stored, they are in great shape. A very nice hidden find.

If you like, I could copy your pictures and send to a friend that specializes in CSA notes to see if he could identify them. Let me know.

 

"It's on an old parchment paper that is really turning brown."

Genuine notes were not printed on parchment. They're replicas. Here's some basic info: Replicas of U. S. Obsolete Banknotes.

 

http://vernpotter.com/VernPotter/LA/2LA96433.htm

Here is a genune one from Vern Potter. ' Parchment' may simply be the way the OP is describing the unusual thin, hard paper the
notes of the period were typically printed on. The brown, hard thick stuff that is commonly used for replicas would not show the print through like this sheet.

These unissued notes are typically called 'remainder' notes.

Also see this.

http://www.apmex.com/product/42851/18-uncut-sheet-citizens-bank-of-louisiana-1-1-2-3-la-15-cu

Do not let these high retail prices give you too high hopes, $100 may be more reasonable for your sheet.

 

Be my guest. I figure once they are posted - they are publicly available.

Thanks in advance!

 

I assume Apmex to be "full retail plus" on something like this, and use ebay as a measuring stick. I see what they are selling for and most appear to be in better condition than mine.

The only goal was to authenticate, and it seems like it's legit. I appreciate everyone's time.

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

 

A quick update, I had a "professional" set of eyes on it. It's fake, so I'll be framing it for the wall. On a lighter note, all the coins I brought in were good.

To those that said it's real - uh... It's fer sale if you can afford it... (kidding!)

Seriously, thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

Brett, Yours is a fake. value unknown. It looks like parchment paper. Below is what the real item looks like:

 

I find this amazing that you can know this.
Very keen of you.
BTM

 

The originals are not that uncommon so that they can be purchased for a couple of hundred dollars apiece if you look around. At various times I have owned several such sheets myself, with the intent of framing them, but never did and sold them.

 

I would have to agree; this sheet has the look of a replica, which have minimal collector value. The printing doesn't seem sharp enough to be intaglio (engraved). If you posted a larger image of just one of the notes we might be able to say for sure.

----

Whoops, just saw the more recent posts, so this is old news.

BTM: After you seen a lot of obsolete bank notes, both genuine and fake, it gets easier to cull the real ones from the reprints.

 

Just be glad we have Internet to do this. Back then I bet it was hawked as real and the poor guy bought it and thought he had a gold mine all these years. "Mint conditon fake" lol

They are nice as a wall decoration though if you're going for an antique design style.

 

The slightly translucent paper of the 'fake' looks more like a period paper than the totally opaque paper of the 'real thing'.

I think the fake is real and the real is fake. Possibly seeing the original poster's sheet in hand would change my mind, the paper has a typical texture as well as a typical look, and you can't feel that online.

 

Reprint is a better description than fake. These were widely printed as copies, along with Confederate and Colonial notes, and the original packaging clearly indicated they were facsimiles. The giveaway (at least from the scans) is not so much the paper but the quality of the printing. The sheet posted originally has a muddier look, the fine lines and shaded areas just don't hold up against the the genuine sheet, which has a much sharper look. It's probably easiest to see when you compare the portrait of the gentleman.

 

Most posted pictures are pretty poor quality. Pin sharp focus and a baanced contrast are not normal attributes.

 

We could argue this all day, I suppose, but you're right -- the only sure way would be to compare the two sheets in hand.

 

I just don't want the OP to discard them out of hand.

 

Fake. Fake fake fake fake fake. And then more fake.

The true tell is in the engraving as noted, the paper is clearly wrong but the engraving especially in the dense area of the portraits tells between fine detail and murky mess.

Oh, one more thing. It's fake.