New Hampshire Currency
November 3, 1775
An emission of £20,000 in indented treasury bills of credit payable in lawful money over a period of four different due dates ending on December 20, 1782. The bills were printed in typeset with ornamental borders on laid paper by Daniel Fowle in Portsmouth. In 1774 Daniel had ended his printing partnership with his nephew Robert Fowle, who was a Tory sympathizer. Togethjer they had published the New Hampshire Gazette. Robert was arrested on April 5, 1777 for making counterfeits of the November 3, 1775 emission, using the same type as the originals (presumably the type had been divided when the partnership dissolved). Because of the counterfeits, on June 17, 1777 the House of Representatives of New Hampshire recalled all 1775 emissions. The four highest denominations are larger than the others. Numbered in red with one signer in red and another in black. Denominations for this issue include: 6d, 9d, 1s6d, 1s9d, 2s6d, 3s, 5s, 10s, 15s, 30s and 40s.obv
40s Serial Number: 2667 NH 11/03/75
Signers: Nicholas Gilman (in red ink), Sam Hobart.
Size: 73 x 126mm (front border design: 64 x 117mm (excluding indented design); back blank).
Comments: Numbering and first signature in red ink; second signature in black. There are two counterfeits of the 40s note, one with a 1779 due date and the other with a 1782 due date. This bill is of the later type. The counterfeit can be spotted because the period following the word "hereof" is located below the letter 'e' in the word "payments" from the line above, while in the original it is below the letter 'n'. Click here to view the blank back.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 1/13/96, lot 381.
