New York Currency
February 16, 1771
An emission of £120,000 in bills of credit receivable for taxes. Printed by Hugh Gaine in New York City on thin laid paper. The new decorative top border cut with Britannia an Indian and Commerce as well as the left border cut and the Arms of New York City were made by Elisha Gallaudet of New York City. Printed by Hugh Gaine on thin laid paper. There was extensive counterfeiting of this issue. Denomination issued were: 5s, 10s, £1. £2, £3, £5 and £10.obv
£2 Serial Number: 6295 NY 02/16/71
Signers: Theophylact Bache, Samuel Verplanck, A. Lott.
Size: 67 x 98 mm (front border design: 65 x 96mm; back blank).
Comments: First signature in a light red ink, the second is in black and the third is in a light brown ink. The seal of the City of New York appears on front right. At the top is the seated Britannia in a roundel with an Indian holding a bow and arrows and the new world to the right while to the left is a figure of Commerce seated on a barrel and holding a lyre with ships behind her. There are four varieties of this bill in Newman our example is Newman's variety d having 8-pointed stars along the bottom. Handwritten annotations on back read "John Straker" on the lower right and "William Morris" on the left edge. Click here to view the annotated back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 12/2/95, lot 484.
obv
£3 Serial Number: 63,961 NY 02/16/71
Signers: Theophylact Bache, Samuel Verplanck, A. Lott.
Size: 66 x 99mm (front border design: 66 x 98mm; back blank).
Comments: The seal of the City of New York appears on front right. At the top is the seated Britannia in a roundel with an Indian holding a bow and arrows and the new world to the right while to the left is a figure of Commerce seated on a barrel and holding a lyre with ships behind her. In the paper is the right half of a circular watermark (45mm) with a G to the right edge. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EAHA mail bid auction of 1/17/98, lot 347.
obv
£10 Serial Number: 27236 NY 02/16/71
Signers: Samuel Verplanck, Theophylact Bache, A. Lott.
Size: 69 x 100 mm (front border design: 65 x 96mm; back blank).
Comments: First and third signatures in brown ink and the second signature and the serial number in red ink. The seal of the City of New York appears on front right. At the top is the seated Britannia in a roundel with an Indian holding a bow and arrows and the new world to the right while to the left is a figure of Commerce seated on a barrel and holding a lyre with ships behind her. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 12/2/95 Lot 484.
