Virginia Currency
October 20, 1777
An emission of $1,700,000 in legal tender Treasury notes redeemable in Spanish milled dollars or an equal value of gold or silver by December 1, 1784. Engraved with four border cuts and the recently adopted state arms showing Liberty as a soldier trampling a foe with the motto "Sic semper tyrannis" (So always to tyrants). In the motto there is a misspelling, or more correctly the use of the wrong Latin case ending of "tyrannus" for tyrannis. This emission used the same plates as had been used earlier for the May 5, 1777 emission. The plates simply left room in the date area for the month and day to be handwritten in and then printed 177- with the final numeral of the date to also be added by hand. Printed on heavy rag paper with one signer on denominations of $1 and below and two signers on higher denominations. The back is blank. Denominations issued were: $1/6, $1/3, $2/3, $1, $4, $5, $6, $8, $10 and $15.obv
$1 Serial Number: 341 VA 10/20/77
Signer: L. Wood
Size: 66 x 94mm (front border design: 63 x 91mm; back blank).
Comments: Number and signature in light brown ink. Date partially written in by hand. State insignia appears on left showing a Liberty as a soldier triumphant over her foe with the motto: "Sic semper tyrannus" (So always to tyrants). Below is a Spanish eight reales with the legends ONE DOLLAR and DEATH TO COUNTERFEIT. Printed on heavy rag paper containing blue threads. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 08/26/00, lot 578.
obv
$5 Serial Number: 12,617 VA 10/20/77
Signers: B. Dickson, James Wray.
Size: 66 x 95mm (front border design: 63 x 93mm; back blank).
Comments: Number and first signature in light brown ink, second signature in black. Date partially written in by hand. State insignia appears on left showing a Liberty as a soldier triumphant over her foe with the motto: "Sic semper tyrannus" (So always to tyrants). Printed on heavy rag paper containing blue threads. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.
obv
$8 Serial Number: 341 VA 10/20/77
Signers: B. Dickson, James Wray.
Size: 63 x 96mm (front border design: 62 x 93mm; back blank).
Comments: Number and signatures in light brown ink. Date partially written in by hand. State insignia appears on left showing a Liberty as a soldier triumphant over her foe with the motto: "Sic semper tyrannus" (So always to tyrants). Printed on heavy rag paper containing blue threads. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 08/26/00, lot 584.
obv
$10 Serial Number: 923 VA 10/20/77
Signers: B. Dickson, James Wray.
Size: not available.
Comments: Number and first signature in light brown ink, second signature in black. Date partially written in by hand. State insignia appears on left showing Liberty as a soldier triumphant over her foe with the motto: "Sic semper tyrannus" (So always to tyrants). Printed on heavy rag paper containing blue threads. No image of the blank back is available.
Courtesy of Early American Numismatic Auctions, Inc. Images used with permission from their on-line auction catalog for the auction of April 20, 1996, lot 609.
