I have just acquired my first piece of Continental currency. It's $60 which I think is pretty neat, and I also like the whole "United States of North America" thing. Apparently this one was one printed on special paper to help merchants detect counterfeits, hence a sort of "proof note" ....either way it's a nice example and I love it. Let's see your Continental era currency. I hope you like my new example.
I do have some Continental notes at home but they are mere pocket change.... Man sixty bucks was a kings ransom in those days!
Actually by that time $60 wasn't much - mere "pennies on the dollar" as the saying goes. The saying "Not worth a Continental" dates from this time. The currency was seriously depreciated in value by inflation - a fact that Benjamin Franklin equated as a form of a tax for American independence. The note above is referred to as a "detector" note - as noted in @Sallent 's post above it was printed on blue paper and kept by merchants to aid in authenticating notes that were tendered in payment. Here is my $7 note - note it was printed by Hall and Sellers, the Hall is David Hall who was in partnership with Benjamin Franklin before Franklin sold his share of the partnership to William Sellers in 1766. Before the partnership with David Hall beginning in 1748 Franklin actually printed notes bearing his name. Notes with his name were printed in the partnership, but with Franklin as a silent partner until he sold his share to William Sellers. By 1780 these notes lost practically any value and were replaced with the Guaranty issue that was issued individually by the colonies: This uncancelled and unredeemed Massachusetts-Bay $5 was in the Guaranty issue. Unlike the earlier Continentals which were never redeemed, these were in fact redeemed - however at a 95% loss to the holder of the note and not for cash - but for a bond that was made due early in the 19th century.
You know, I think I now need to find the same type as my note above, but the one actually meant for circulation.... That way I have the actual note and the counterfeit detector to hold right next to each other as it was originally intended. I think that would be a neat conversation piece to have both of them side by side.
Exactly - But if you really want to be adventurous also get one of the British made counterfeits - because they are the whole reason that era of paper money in America was so dangerous. However, because counterfeits were often destroyed when found they are difficult to find.
Regarding counterfeits: In case there was any doubt of the consequences of being convicted of forgery.
That is a very nice note. I have very little continential currency. I am generally not a paper money collector. Here are the two pieces that I have. For those who might have thought that the Fugio Cent and the continential dollar were an original designs. I bought this one because it was issued during the brief time when the British chased the Continential Congress our of Philadelphia. They went to York, Pennsylvania and then Baltimore for two to three months. From what I've read, the Continential Congress met at a tavern in Baltimore.
For a few years now I have been putting together a suite of an example of a note from each of the original 13 Colonies. This NH note has been the hardest to find and in spite of its condition has also been the priciest. The last note I need is a Georgia note.
