That note is an Obsolete Note...I currently do not have a Obsolete Reference Book but know a few collectors and I will ask to see where it was issued from. I check my sources for Phillie and New York...nothing there yet. Perhaps someone else will answer before I find out.. Stand by.... RickeB
Notice the serial number. This is an "8894", the single most common replica obsolete note out there. Many thousands of these were printed for some kind of advertising promotion a few decades back, and they still keep turning up in the numismatic marketplace to this day.... Some of them say "COPY" or "REPLICA" in tiny print somewhere, though I'm pretty sure quite a lot of them were printed before the law was passed that required replica notes to carry such markings.
This not has two signatures on the back. Dont know if it carries any significants or not. the names are not familiar too me.
That note is indeed a replica...sorry Numbers, you were right on! RickieB http://www.tomchao.com/replicas2.html
According to one story, a chemist concocted a chemical solution that turned vegetable membrane into old looking paper. The "8894" is one of the products of this discovery. This is about as complete of a story on the note that I found: http://www.pennylicious.com/2006/09/16/1000-bank-of-united-states-note-serial-number-8894/
Jacob, RickieB is correct, that is a common replica. It is printed on a parchment type stock that was not used originally. The coloring on older notes in some cases will exhibit "foxing" dedending how they were stored. That condition is basically a mold in the paper, that turns it to the color of coffee. Very few US Colonial era and Obsolete notes were printed on the parchment type paper. Two other indications it is not real. Flip the note over and look at the reverse side. With the type of paper used, the inks (heavy in iron oxides) for the signatures should have bled through to the reverse side, or in some cases the inks used will errode the paper. Second look at the pictures on the note. The engraving lines are blurred. Very typical of copies. Original notes have crisp defined lines not blurred by a copy process. Original notes like the one you have typically sell for about $800-$1000 and are well sought after. Most are dated 1840. The paper is thin and are very light in color. If you want a good refence to check on....refer to a multi-volume Obsolete book set by Haxby. When I detect Confederate and Colonial fakes, the paper, engravings and inks are the first things to look at. When you look at a couple hundred notes, its obvious. However, I had to learn years ago. But never buy something you dont know. Research is the rule. Jeff
thanks for your in depth reply. Luckily we didn't spend money on this note, It was my father's and I just came upon it. Thanks
A good many of these, and similar notes, were made in the 1960's when folks were capitalizing on the 100 year anniversary of the Civil War. As the CW notes were copied and became popular other notes of the era were copied as well. Now that these notes are approaching 50 years old more & more people are pulling them out & thinking they really have something. The parchment used on the fakes is actually a pretty good giveaway that they are indeed fakes.
The paper used for these replicas is really a hoot. Real notes never look/feel like this crinkly paper used for modern replicas. This paper vaguely replicates the foxing of old paper, but the feel of the paper does not match the real thing.
I imagine that there was an original note used to create the copies with "8894". I'd bet the guy who created the copie wouldn't think to change the number. As a result, if the original does indeed still exist, I wonder what the seller will have to go through in order to substantiate it's authenticity (or the flipside of that, it was thrown away because people kept telling him that all "8894"'s were copies).
