I'm not sure. The twenty five cents isn't just money, it can only be redeemed if you have 20 of them? "Will pay to the bearer, at the office of the county treasurer,twenty five cents, in bankable currency, when presented in sums of five dollars." I assume that means you can't just go to a store and spend it as 25 cents. I asked what this meant in a currency forum/ thread but never got an answer. Fractional currency usually says "fractional currency", & "to be redeemed for stamps" on most fractional currency.
Your first note looks like its from the colonial period based on the date: 1776 and is worth 18 Pence (Sterling penny) pretty cut and dry based on the information Your second note looks localized to the county of Augusta and probably only good In a certain area, not an expert on these bust based on the information dates etc my best guess.
The first one is a Counterfeit Coloniel Note. Second is a obsolete bank note from GA. They stayed close to the home area and were redeemable only in that proximity.
Sure you can. And so can a bunch of other people. And then the storekeeper will end up with hundreds of the things, and he can take them down to the county treasurer and cash them in. That was basically the whole point. During the Civil War there was a shortage of coins, because people were hoarding silver. There were banknotes in circulation, but not in denominations this small. So various issuers put out small-change notes like this, in order to allow commerce to continue.
Looks counterfeit a piece one could buy in the 60's at a gift shop in Philly. Besides I believe Franklin printed these notes.? Using a leaf like a finger print hard to reproduce and a aid to prevent counterfeit currency.
A quick way to tell if you have a reproduction is to check the serial numbers and signatures. These should be handwritten in ink. If they are printed, especially the serial number then you probably have a reproduction. (Note: This area isn't my specialty so there could be some printed signatures on authentic notes). This will weed out the obvious reproductions. Based on your pics, it looks like the colonial note my not be hand signed, but you should easily be able to tell in hand.
Signatures are not live ink. It's fake. The Augusta County piece is real though. Ink has oxidized. Nice condition, too.
Not so sure I agree completely. It's like when I heard that some banks make customers use ATMs only if their account(s) have less than a certain amount in them. Surely merchants all over Augusta County (I taught there in the 1970s) could accept these as tender, then take them to the treasurer.
I said I wasn't sure, in that I didn't know what was correct. So there is nothing to agree or disagree. I was not making an argument. I was just asking what that meant on the note. What happens when the storekeeper is stuck with 19 of these things and can't get another one? Is he just beat for $4.75 which is a lot of money in those days.
First note is not a "counterfeit" in the traditional sense. It is a modern replica. Was not made to really pass as the real thing, since those notes were long ago demonetized. But, it isn't real, 100% sure. It is for the most part worthless. Your Augusta fractional looks almost assuredly real. Not worth a whole lot maybe $5 or $6 I would think...
