Pennsylvania Currency
March 16, 1785
An emission of £150,000 in bills of credit. The issued was printed in Philadelphia by Francis Bailey on paper with the watermark PENSYL / VANIA. It is the last emission issued by the state. The backs have a new series of nature and cloth prints. There is one signer on the 3d and 6d notes, two signers on 1s6d through 5s and three signers on the higher denominations. The notes were numbered and have one signature in red ink. All notes except the 2s6d note carry a Spanish milled dollar equivalent written out in brackets on the top line of the front. Denominations issued were: 3d (3 ninetieth of a dollar), 9d (9 ninetieth of a dollar), 1s6d, 2s6d (18 ninetieth of a dollar), 5s (two thirds of a dollar), 10s (One and one third dollars), 15s (Two dollars) and 20s (Two and two thirds dollars).
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2s6d Serial Number: 52,889 PA 03/16/85
Signers: J. Loughead, Levi Budd.
Size: 64 x 102.5mm (front design: 60 x 99mm; back design: 60 x 99mm).
Comments: The front includes engraved border cuts and the state seal consisting of a ship, a plow and stacks of wheat with the motto "COMMERCE AND AGRICULTURE" in a banner below. On this denomination the seal is in a shield. Around the inside border are alternating letters and designs spelling the denomination of the note around the left, top and right sides while below is ****F*r*a*n*c*i*s***B*a*i*l*e*y****P*r*i*n*t*e*r**** On the reverse of this denomination the printer's name was misspelled as Bailly; the correct spelling is Bailey as it is on the front. The back also contains a new nature print of a leaf. The paper is watermarked PENSYL / VANIA oriented from the back of the note, reading from top to bottom.
Provenance: Purchased through the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment from the EANA mail bid auction of 11/16/96, lot 696.
