Connecticut Currency
May 10, 1775
An emission of £50,000 in bills of credit as Treasury Notes payable in lawful money by May 10, 1777 without interest. Printed in New London by Timothy Green II with engraved borders and typeset text. (This Green is the first cousin once removed of Timothy Green Jr., who had printed currency for Connecticut until his death on October 3, 1763). The front of each note shows the seal of the colony with three grape vines and a hand that points to the right on some denominations and to the left on others. The scroll carries the abbreviated motto "QUI TRAN SUST" sometimes lacking the final N or final T (What is transplanted survives). In the border is: "SIGILLUM : COLON : CONNECTICENSIS" (Seal of the Colony of Connecticut). This form of the seal was on every emission from 1755 -1780. The May 1775 emission was signed and numbered in red ink and usually slash or hole canceled upon redemption. The denominations printed were: 2s6d, 10s, 20s and 40s notes.obv
rev
40s Serial Number: 15351 CT 05/10/75
Signers: William Pitkin, Jesse Root, Jabez Hamlin.
Size: 89 x 69 mm (front border design: 88 x 68mm; back border design: 52 x 65mm).
Comments: Signed and numbered in red ink. The hand on the state arms points to the left. Note the use of typographic designs to fill empty spaces, such as the upside down hand to the left of "Forty" at the top of the bill.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 12/02/95 lot 409. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
