North Carolina Currency
May 15, 1779
An emission of $1,250,000 (£500,000) in legal tender bills of credit payable in Spanish milled dollars or the equivalent in gold or silver. The bills were typeset with the addition of an engraved top border cut on each side. Printed on light coarse paper by Hugh Walker in Wilmington. Eight different mottos were used on this series of bills. Also special typographical marks were added to deter counterfeiters, but counterfeiters faithfully reproduced them. Denominations issued were: $5 (two varieties), $10 (two varieties), $20, $25 (two varieties), $50, $100 and $250.obv
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$10 Serial Number: unnumbered #160; NC 05/15/79
Signer: John Taylor.
Size: 57 x 101mm (front border design: 54 x 97mm; back border design: 47 x 82mm).
Comments: Signature in brown ink. Motto in the lower left corner of the front reads: "Virtue excels Riches." As a secret anti-counterfeiting mark a dash appears over the 'y' in 'Assembly' on the front. This is an unissued remainder without a serial number.
On the left edge of the reverse is a hand written note: "Wilson, Cape Girarde[au] / Mo . - June 23 1887 s" This note, dated to June 23, 1887, mentioning Cape Girardeau, Missouri, appears to have been partly trimmed. Possibly the note was part of a full or a partial sheet in 1887, that was later cut into individual bills.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EAHA mail bid auction of 12/7/2002, lot 554.
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$20 Serial Number: 7486 NC 05/15/79
Signers: John Hunt, John Taylor.
Size: 65 x 99mm (front border design: 61 x 97mm; back border design: 54 x 83.5mm).
Comments: Numbering and first signature in brown ink, the second signature in black. Motto in the lower left corner of the front reads: "Peace on Honourable Terms." As a secret anti-counterfeiting mark an umlaut appears over the 'e' in the second "the" on the front.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 12/2/95, lot 500.
