Pennsylvania Currency
December 8, 1775
An emission of £80,000 in bills of credit similar to the emission of July 20, 1775. The front contains border cuts by James Smithers with the British arms, with a nature print on the back. Printed by Hall and Sellers in Philadelphia on paper with blue silk thread. All denominations have plates A and B. Usually one of the three signers is in red ink. Denominations issued were: 10s, 20s, 30s and 40s.obv
rev
10s Serial Number: 3413 Plate B PA 12/08/75
Signers: William Smith, Joseph Redman, Matthew Clarkson.
Size: 88.5 x 70mm (front border design: 87 x 70mm; back border design: 85 x 67mm).
Comments: Second signature and numbering in red ink; first and third signatures in brown ink. The British arms appear on the front with the denomination keyed to two crowns below the arms. The colony name appears as "Pennsylvania". On the right column the S in SHIL was printed backwards. A nature print on the back consists of a leaf, with the denomination as X.S added in white letters in the lower right corner. The paper contains mica flakes and blue threads.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EAHA mail bid auction of 05/23/98, lot 433, where it was graded as crips about uncirculated.
obv
rev
20s Serial Number: 2937 Plate A PA 12/08/75
Signers: Joseph Redman, faded signature, Matthew Clarkson.
Size: 89 x 69mm (front border design: 87 x 68mm; back border design: 85 x 63mm).
Comments: Signed and numbered in black ink; the middle signature, usually in red ink has completely faded with hardly a trace. The British arms appear on the front with the denomination keyed to four crowns below the arms. The colony name appears as "Pennsylvania". A nature print on the back consisting of three fern branches, with the denomination as X X S added in white letters in the lower left corner at the leaf stem. The paper contains mica flakes and blue threads.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 04/20/96, lot 558.
obv
rev
30s Serial Number: 13,528 Plate B PA 12/08/75
Signers: Andrew Tybout, Josiah Hewes (in red), George Douglass.
Size: 93 x 73mm (front border design: 88 x 68mm; back border design: 85 x 65mm).
Comments: Numbering and first and third signatures in black ink; the middle signature in red ink. The British arms appear on the front with the denomination keyed to six crowns below the arms. The colony name appears as "Pennsilvania". The right and left borders are decorated with geometric designs rather than columns. A nature print on the back consisting of two leaves, with the denomination as X X X S added in white letters in the upper right corner. On this note the imposition of the printing of the back was left of center. The paper contains mica flakes and blue threads.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 04/20/96, lot 559.
obv
rev
40s Serial Number: 8300 Plate B PA 12/08/75
Signers: Elisha Price, Nicholas Fairlamb (in red), Sketchly Morton.
Size: 89 x 73mm (front border design: 87 x 70mm; back border design: 85 x 67mm).
Comments: Numbering and first and third signatures in black ink; the middle signature in red ink. The British arms appear on the front with the denomination keyed to eight crowns, four above and four below the arms. The colony name appears as "Pensylvania". The top border cut is signed by the engraver "J. Smithers Sculp." directly above the serial number. The two side columns and the top border designate the note as two pounds, this is the only note in the series to have a pound designation on it. A nature print on the back consisting of a leaf, with the denomination as S 40 added in white letters in the lower left corner (very light on this example). The paper contains mica flakes and blue threads.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 04/20/96, lot 561.
