Continental Currency: September 26, 1778
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    Continental Currency

    September 26, 1778...Continued



    obv rev


    $40                 Serial Number: 33,575                  CC 09/26/78

    Signers: C. Hernandez (in red ink), Richard Eyres.

    Size: 71 x 94mm (front border design: 69 x 91mm; back border design: 66 x 88mm).

    Comments: Numbering and first signature in red ink; second signature in brown ink. The emblem on the front shows the rays of an all seeing eye shining down on what appear to be a sacrifical alter with a flame that is surrounded by thirteen stars, below is the motto: "Confederation". The nature print on the back is of carrot leaves. Paper contains blue threads and mica flakes.

    Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 12/2/95 lot 403. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.

    obv rev


    $50                 Serial Number: 61,530                 CC 09/26/78

    Signers: Nathaniel Donnell, Jedediah Snowden (in red ink).

    Size: 73 x 96mm (front border design: 70 x 90mm; back border design: 65 x 89mm).

    Comments: Numbering and second signature in red ink; first signature in black ink. The emblem on the front shows a thirteen-stepped pyramid, with the motto: "Perennis" (Everlasting). The nature print on the back depicts three arrows. Paper contains blue threads and mica flakes. Both Jedediah and Joseph Snowden signed this issue but our signature is Jedediah for only he signed the January 14, 1779 emission and our signature exactly matches the January 14, 1779 emission signature (see the example of his signature in the third edition of Newman on p. 47).

    Provenance: From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.

    obv rev


    $50 counterfeit                 Serial Number: 17,919 (faded)                 CC 09/26/78

    Signers: Jedediah Snowden (in red ink), Samuel Lyon (forgeries).

    Size: 72 x 95mm (front border design: 69 x 91mm; back border design: 64 x 89mm).

    Comments: Numbering and second signature in red ink; first signature in black ink. The emblem on the front shows a thirteen-stepped pyramid, with the motto: "Perennis" (Everlasting). Several X's in pen were added over the emblem to cancel this detected counterfeit note. The nature print on the back depicts three arrows. Paper contains blue threads and mica flakes.

    The bill displayed here is an early variant of this particular counterfeit. The first issues were distributed with the comma missing after the word Philadelphia in the main text. This was soon publicized so the counterfeiters corrected the unissued bills in ink and inserted a comma into their typeset so the later part of their printing included the comma. Also the ascender in the letter h in 26th broke in the later stages of the printing. Our example is missing the comma and has a complete h. (for a late variant of this counterfeit see Newman, third edition, p. 459). Other variations that distingish this issue from legal bills are as follows: In the first line of the text the word "to" is slightly lower than the other words. In the word "according" the second letter c is higher than the first letter c. Also in the bottom line of text in the word "DOLLARS" the top loop of the letter S is not attached to the remainder of the letter. Official bills have none of these errors.

    Provenance: Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 04/20/96 lot 400. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.

    obv rev


    $60                 Serial Number: 95,405                  CC 09/26/78

    Signers: Robert Cather, Joseph Snowden.

    Size: 71 x 89mm (front border design: vertical dimension is 70mm; horizontal dimension trimmed on our example; back border design: 68 x 87mm).

    Comments: Numbered in red ink; first signature in black and second signature in brown. The emblem on the front shows a celestial orb with the motto from Psalm 97: "Deus regnat exultet terra" (God reigns, let the earth rejoice). The nature print on the back is of a bow. Paper contains blue threads and mica flakes.

    Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 12/2/95 lot 406. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.

    For another example of a $60 note, serial number 98,908 (in red) signed by Samuel Nicholas (in brown ink) and Robert A. Roberts (in red). From the EANA auction of April 20, 1996, lot 402. Only the front is available. Click here for front.

    obv rev


    $60 counterfeit                 Serial Number: 90,037                 CC 09/26/78

    Signers: Paul Cox, Nathaniel Donnell. (forgeries)

    Size: 72 x 93mm (front border design: 70mm x 90mm; back border design: 67 x 85mm).

    Comments: Numbered and second signature in red ink; first signature in black. The emblem on the front shows a celestial orb with the motto from Psalm 97: "Deus regnat exultet terra" (God reigns, let the earth rejoice). Two X's in pen were used to cancel this detected counterfeit note. The nature print on the back is of a bow. Paper contains blue threads and mica flakes.

    Newman calls this a deceptive counterfeit with no easily detectable mistakes. This issue differs from the legal issue as follows: In the second line of text the letter i in the word "receive" is positioned to the left of the letter i in the word "mill-" found in the line below. In official bills the letter i in "receive" is directly over the letter i in "mill-" while the dot of the i in "receive is actually to the right of the i in "mill-". In the third line of the text in the counterfeit in the word "Sixty" the letter t is set on line with the letters I and x while in official notes the letter t is set higher than the other letters. Also in the next to the last line of text the long s (that is the first s) in the word Congress has a very short top curve so that the end of the letter points upwards while on official notes the curve on that s is more pronounced and the end of the letter points downwards.

    Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 04/20/96 lot 403. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.