Connecticut Currency
June 7, 1776
An emission of £60,000 in bills of credit as Treasury Notes payable in lawful money by January 1, 1781 without interest. A total of £10,000 of the total emission was reserved for the printing of small denomination notes of 6s and below. There had been no 1s noted printed since the emission of March 8, 1764; there had never been a 1s3d note, as this was the first issue of that denomination; the only previous 2s notes were from July 1, 1775 and the issues of and before May 8, 1746; no 3s notes had been issued since May 1746, while the only previous 6s notes were from the June 1 and July 1 issues of 1775. It was hoped this emission would help satisfy the need for small change notes which were in greater demand as coins were hoarded and melted down due to the war. This was also the first issue of a 15s note in Connecticut. The issue was 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 June 7, 1776 emission was signed and numbered in red ink and either slash or hole canceled upon redemption and some were signed and registered on the back by the comptroller. The denominations printed were: 1s, 1s3d, 2s, 2s6d, 3s, 5s, 6s, 10s, 15s, £1 and £2 notes.obv
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1s Serial Number: 43375 CT 06/07/76
Signer: Benjamin Payne (in red ink).
Size: 91 x 73 mm (front border design: 87 x 69mm; back border design: 61 x 67.5mm).
Comments: Signed and numbered in red ink. The hand on the seal points to the right. There are winged cherubs in the border design on the back. X canceled.
Provenance: EANA mail bid auction 11/16/96 lot 517. Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment.
