New Jersey Currency
January 9, 1781
An emission of £30,000 in legal tender bills of credit payable by December 31, 1787 with their legal tender status revoked on May 1, 1782. By an act of December 21, 1784 these notes were revalued at $3 in bills for $1 in specie. Printed by Isaac Collins in Trenton on paper with a "New Jersey" watermark. The state seal is on the front and a sage leaf on the back. The back has a reversed orientation with respect to previous issues (the stem of the sage leaf points toward the left border of the front rather than the right, as is the case in the February 28, 1776 emission with engraved backs). Denominations issued were: 6d, 9d, 1s, 1s6d, 2s6d, 3s6d, 3s9d, 4s, 5s and 7s6d ($1).obv
1s6d Serial Number: 19834 NJ 01/09/81
Signers: Benjamin Smith, Robert Neil.
Size: not available
Comments: Signed and numbered in brown ink. New Jersey state seal appears on the left front. Nature print of a sage leaf on back with an ornamental border design. Paper contains mica flakes and is watermarked: "NEW JERSEY" Image of the back is not 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 503.
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3s6d Serial Number: 2287 NJ 01/09/81
Signers: Robert Neil, Benjamin Smith.
Size: 59 x 94mm (front border dimensions: 58 x 92 mm; back dimensions: 49 x 92 mm).
Comments: Signed and numbered in black ink. New Jersey state seal appears on the left front. Nature print of a sage leaf on back with an ornamental border design. Paper contains mica flakes and is watermarked: "NEW JERSEY" oriented to be read from the back (the 'N' is cut off in our example).
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 1/13/96 lot 407. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
