Pennsylvania Currency
March 20, 1773
An emission of £12,000 in bills of credit authorized for the construction of the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse and related buoys and piers. The back displays a cast cut of a lighthouse with the denomination of the bill incised in the plate in roman numerals, found in the lower left corner of the picture. There are four border cuts and the Penn shield on the front (on some of the 6s notes the shield was inadvertently printed upside down). Printed by Hall and Sellers in Philadelphia on paper containing mica flakes. Each denomination has plates A and B. In each denomination the spelling of the colony name "Pennsylvania" is found in a different form. This is the continuation of an anti-counterfeiting measure used by Franklin and Hall. Usually numbered in red ink with at least one of the three signatures alos in red ink. Denominations issued were: 4s, 6s, 14s and 16s.obv
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4s Plate B Serial Number: 2272 PA 03/20/73
Signers: Jacob Winey, middle red signature faded, Charles Jervis.
Size: 92 x 72mm (front border design: 86 x 70mm; back border design: 82 x 66mm).
Comments: Numbering and first and third signatures in black ink, the second signature is faded and was in red ink. The top (or left) column on the front reads: "Light House" followed by "iv Shill." and the bottom (or right) column reads: "Piers and Buoys" followed by "iv Sh." The front also contains the Penn family arms with the motto "Mercy Justice." Colony name appears as "Pensilvania ". The back of this denomination displays a cast cut of a lighthouse. The denomination of the bill is incised in a white arabic numeral "4" in the lower left corner of the cut; it is visible but quite faded in this example. The paper contains mica flakes.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 4/26/97 lot 289. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
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6s Plate A Serial Number: faded PA 03/20/73
Signers: John Steinmetz, Frederick Kuhl (faded in red), Benjamin Shoemaker.
Size: 88 x 74mm (front border design: 85 x 70mm; back border design: 82 x 66mm).
Comments: The first and third signatures are in brown ink, the second signature and the numbering are in faded red ink. The top (or left) column on the front reads: "Piers and Buoys" followed by "vi Sh." and the bottom (or right) column (printed towards the center of the note) reads: "Light House" followed by "iv Shill." The front also contains the Penn family arms with the motto "Mercy Justice." In this example, which is plate A, the arms were inadvertently printed upside down! In plate B the arms were oriented correctly. The colony name appears as "Pennsilvania ". The back of this denomination displays a cast cut of a lighthouse. The denomination of the bill is incised as a white arabic numeral "6" in the lower left corner of the cut. The paper contains mica flakes.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 4/26/97 lot 289. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
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14s Plate B Serial Number: 716 PA 03/20/73
Signers: Frederick Kuhl, Jacob Winey (in red), Charles Jervis.
Size: 88 x 74mm (front border design: 85 x 70mm; back border design: 82 x 66mm).
Plate number near bottom while in all others it is close to end of main text - Comments: The numbering and first signature are in a brown ink, the second signature is in red and the third signature is in a black ink. The left column on the front reads: "Piers and Buoys" followed by "XIV" at the column base and the right column reads: "Light House" followed by "XIV" In both cases the script faces outwards. The front also contains the Penn family arms with the motto "Mercy Justice." The colony name appears correctly as "Pennsylvania ". The plate number is located near the bottom left corner on this denomination while in all other denominations of this emission it follows the final line of the main text. The back of this denomination displays a cast cut of a lighthouse. The denomination of the bill is incised in white roman numerals "XIV" in the lower left corner of the cut. The paper contains mica flakes.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 4/26/97 lot 289. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
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16s Plate A Serial Number: 6317 PA 03/25/75
Signers: John Steinmetz, Frederick Kuhl (in faded red ink), Benjamin Shoemaker.
Size: 89 x 70mm (front border design: 86 x 69mm; back border design: 82 x 66mm).
Comments: The first signature is in a brown ink, the numbering and second signature are in a faded red ink, and the third signature is in black ink. The left column on the front reads downward: "Lighthouse" followed by a small "xvi" and the right column reads upward: "Piers & Buoys." followed by "16". In both cases the script faces outwards. The front also contains the Penn family arms with the motto "Mercy Justice." The colony name appears correctly as "Pennsylvania ". The back displays a cast cut of a lighthouse with the denomination of the bill with the denomination of the bill incised in white roman numerals "XVI" in the lower left corner of the cut. The paper contains mica flakes.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 4/26/97 lot 289. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
