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Table of Contents
The End of Silver Certificates--Peter Huntoon
William Fraser White--Charles Derby
Plate Letter Placement Glitches--Doug Murray and Peter Huntoon
Color Watermarks from Domtar--Roland Rollins
William D. Nutt--Nick Bruyer
Robert Dowd: Currency as Art--Rick Melamed
The Numismatic Side of the Siege of Mafeking--Steve Feller
official journal of
The Society of Paper Money Collectors
This Issue Dedicated to
Fred Reed
LEGENDARY COLLECTIONS | LEGENDARY RESULTS | A LEGENDARY AUCTION FIRM
Consign Your U.S.and World Paper Money to
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Info@StacksBowers.com ? StacksBowers.com
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Fr. 167a. 1863 $100 Legal Tender Note.
PCGS Banknote Choice Uncirculated 63.
Realized $264,000
Fr. 376. 1891 $50 Treasury Note.
PMG Extremely Fine 40 EPQ.
Realized $156,000
Cincinnati, Ohio. $100 1875. Fr. 460.
The Metropolitan NB. Charter #2542.
PMG About Uncirculated 55.
Realized $144,000
Fr. 2221-K. 1934 $5000 Federal Reserve Note.
Dallas. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ.
Realized $180,000
PANAMA. Republica de Panama. 10 Balboas,
1941. P-24a. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ.
Realized $48,000
CHINA--FOREIGN BANKS. Deutsch-Asiatische
Bank. 25 Dollars, 1907. P-S296s. Specimen.
PMG Choice Very Fine 35.
Realized $33,600
CANADA. Royal Canadian Bank. 2 Dollars,
1865. CH #635-10-04-06. PMG Very Fine 25.
Realized $30,000
ISRAEL. Anglo-Palestine Bank Limited. 50
Palestine Pounds, ND (1948-51). P-18. Very Fine.
Realized $25,200
Official Auction
Winter Whitman Coin Expo
Baltimore, Maryland ? November 2021
Official Auction
N.Y.I.N.C Show
New York City ? January 2022
Contact Us Today
About Consigning
to an Upcoming
Paper Money Auction
West Coast
800.458.4646
East Coast
800.566.2580
Consign@StacksBowers.com
www.StacksBowers.com
a_oM_om
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341
The End of Silver Certificates?Peter Huntoon
William Fraser White?Charles Derby
Plate Letter Placement Glitches?Doug Murray & Peter Huntoon
William D. Nutt?Nick Bruyer
The Numismatic Side of the Siege of Mafeking?Steve Feller
Color Watermarks from Domtar?Roland Rollins
SPMCAwards
Robert Dowd; Currency as Art?Rick Melamed
356
364
328
350
352
372
396
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
321
Contents, Advertisers, Hall of Fame
Columns
Advertisers
SPMC Hall of Fame
The SPMC Hall of Fame recognizes and honors those individuals who
have made a lasting contribution to the society over the span of many years.?
Charles Affleck
Walter Allan
Doug Ball
Joseph Boling
F.C.C. Boyd
Michael Crabb
Forrest Daniel
Martin Delger
William Donlon
Roger Durand
C. John Ferreri
Milt Friedberg
Robert Friedberg
Len Glazer
Nathan Gold
Nathan Goldstein
James Haxby
John Herzog
Gene Hessler
John Hickman
William Higgins
Ruth Hill
Peter Huntoon
Don Kelly
Lyn Knight
Chet Krause
Allen Mincho
Clifford Mishler
Judith Murphy
Dean Oakes
Chuck O?Donnell
Roy Pennell
Albert Pick
Fred Reed
Matt Rothert
Herb & Martha
Schingoethe
Hugh Shull
Glenn Smedley
Raphael Thian
Daniel Valentine
Louis Van Belkum
George Wait
D.C. Wismer
From Your President Robert Vandevender 323
Editor Sez Benny Bolin 324
Uncoupled Joseph E. Boling & Fred Schwan
325
Chump Change Loren Gatch
380
380
Obsolete Corner Robert Gill
387
Cherry Pickers Corner Robert Calderman
388
Quartermaster Column Michael McNeil
390
New Members Frank Clark
393
IFC 385
321 385
340 386
348 392
355 392
371 401
Stacks Bowers
Galleries Pierre Fricke
Lyn F. Knight
PCGS
Richard Whitmire
Jim Ehrhardt
Denly's
DBR Currency
379
Fred Bart
FCCB
ANA
Higgins Museum
Bob Laub
PCDA
Heritage Auctions OBC
379
Fred Schwan
Neil Shafer
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
322
Officers & Appointees
ELECTED OFFICERS
PRESIDENT Robert Vandevender II
rvpaperman@aol.com
VICE-PRES/SEC'Y Robert Calderman
gacoins@earthlink.net
TREASURER Robert Moon
robertmoon@aol.com
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Mark Anderson mbamba@aol.com
Robert Calderman gacoins@earthlink.net
Gary Dobbins g.dobbins@sbcglobal.net
Matt Drais stockpicker12@aol.com
Mark Drengson markd@step1software.com
Pierre Fricke
aaaaaaaaaaaapierrefricke@buyvintagemoney.com
Loren Gatch lgatch@uco.edu
William Litt Billlitt@aol.com
J. Fred Maples maplesf@comcast.net
Cody Regennitter cody.regennitter@gmail.com
Wendell Wolka purduenut@aol.com
APPOINTEES
PUBLISHER-EDITOR
Benny Bolin smcbb@sbcglobal.net
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Wendell Wolka purduenut@aol.com
LEGAL COUNSEL
Megan Reginnitter mreginnitter@iowafirm.com
LIBRAIAN
Jeff Brueggeman jeff@actioncurrency.com
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
Frank Clark frank_clark@yahoo.com
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Shawn Hewitt
WISMER BOOk PROJECT COORDINATOR
Pierre Fricke
From Your President
Robert Vandevender II
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Paper Money * July/August 2020
6
Greetings fellow paper money enthusiasts. It is nice to see that our hobby is very
active. The SPMC is happy to welcome Dean Oaks and Clifford L. Mishler into our
Hall of Fame this year. Also selected posthumously for the Hall of Fame is former
board member Forrest Daniel.
In July, we were sad to learn that our longtime member and Paper Money magazine
Editor Emeritus Fred L. Reed III had passed away. Fred provided a much-needed
service to the SPMC and was instrumental in the publishing of the Society?s 40th
anniversary issue. More information regarding Fred can be found in this issue.
At the last minute, my schedule changed, and I was able to attend the Florida United
Numismatist 15th annual summer convention in July. Although the SPMC did not
have a table at this event, several of our members were present and busy staffing their
own personal dealers? tables. From the conversations I had, it appeared that everyone
was having a very busy show. Attendees were required to wear a Covid-19 mask
while passing through the entrance but once inside the hall, most of the people I saw
removed their masks shortly thereafter.
We saw a great turnout at the ANA Show in Chicago this past August with several
SPMC members present. Activity at the SPMC table was a little slow as it was at
many of the other club tables likely due to the table location being off the main floor of
the show, but we did have many visitors at the table. One prospective new member
made the comment that he was amazed at how many currency dealers there were on
the main floor of the show and there certainly was a big presence with many of our
regular dealers having tables. Many dealers with whom I spoke commented about how
busy they were during the show. Concurrent to the ANA Show located in one hall, the
Great American Stamp Show was happening in a different hall. Several people from
our show also visited the stamp show. I was surprised to see very active currency
dealing at a few tables at the stamp show as well.
During the ANA Show, Past President Shawn Hewitt and I were pleased to be able
to present several of this years? SPMC service awards in person including the awards
to our two newest Hall of Fame inductees, Dean Oaks, and Clifford Mishler. Several
of our members were pleased to join Dean Oaks one evening for a celebratory dinner
at a local Italian restaurant with brief remarks provided by Past President Mark
Anderson. Other members attended various outside activities such as a Rockin? in the
Park Summer Concert Series or the Chicago Dogs baseball game where both events
were followed by a large fireworks display. And of course, there were many visits to
various excellent dining establishments nearby. Saturday morning came quickly, and
we held a small SPMC membership meeting for those people who were available to
attend with a presentation provided by Vice President Robert Calderman. We also
added a few new members to our Society during the show.
I recently learned that the American Numismatic Association is in the process of
applying for a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission for a project titled ?The American Numismatic Association shares the
never-before-seen American Banknote Company Archives with the world.? The ANA
Project Summary states ?This project will help researchers and many others to learn
more about the history of the American Banknote Company (ABNC) and the various
other companies that the ABNC overtook.? In August, I issued a letter in support of
this project in hopes of helping the ANA succeed in their goal as I am sure many of
you will be interested in seeing the results of the project.
The next presence for the SPMC at a show will be the upcoming South Carolina
Numismatic Association in late October. We will have a table staffed by our board
members so please stop by and say hello if you are able to attend the event.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
323
Terms and Conditions
The Society of Paper Money Collectors (SPMC) P.O. Box
7055, Gainesville, GA 30504, publishes PAPER MONEY
(USPS 00-3162) every other month beginning in January.
Periodical postage is paid at Hanover, PA. Postmaster send
address changes to Secretary Robert Calderman, Box 7055,
Gainesville, GA 30504. ?Society of Paper Money Collectors,
Inc. 2020. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article in
whole or part without written approval is prohibited. Individual
copies of this issue of PAPER MONEY are available from the
secretary for $8 postpaid. Send changes of address, inquiries
concerning non - delivery and requests for additional
copies of this issue to the secretary.
MANUSCRIPTS
Manuscripts not under consideration elsewhere
and publications for review should be sent to the editor.
Accepted manuscripts will be published as soon as
possible, however publication in a specific issue cannot be
guaranteed. Opinions expressed by authors do not
necessarily reflect those of the SPMC. Manuscripts
should be submitted in WORD format via email
(smcbb@sbcglobal.net) or by sending memory stick/disk
to the editor. Scans should be grayscale or color JPEGs at
300 dpi. Color illustrations may be changed to grayscale
at the discretion of the editor. Do not send items of
value. Manuscripts are submitted with copyright release
of the author to the editor for duplication and printing as
needed.
ADVERTISING
All advertising on space available basis. Copy/correspondence
should be sent to editor.
All advertising is pay in advance. Ads are on a ?good
faith? basis. Terms are ?Until Forbid.?
Ads are Run of Press (ROP) unless accepted on a premium
contract basis. Limited premium space/rates available.
To keep rates to a minimum, all advertising must be prepaid
according to the schedule below. In exceptional cases
where special artwork or additional production is
required, the advertiser will be notified and billed
accordingly. Rates are not commissionable; proofs are
not supplied. SPMC does not endorse any company,
dealer or auction house. Advertising Deadline: Subject to
space availability, copy must be received by the editor no
later than the first day of the month preceding the cover
date of the issue (i.e. Feb. 1 for the March/April issue).
Camera-ready art or electronic ads in pdf format are
required.
ADVERTISING RATES
Space 1 Time 3 Times 6 Times
Full color covers $1500 $2600 $4900
B&W covers 500 1400 2500
Full page color 500 1500 3000
Full page B&W 360 1000 1800
Half-page B&W 180 500 900
Quarter-page B&W 90 250 450
Eighth-page B&W 45 125 225
Required file submission format is composite PDF
v1.3 (Acrobat 4.0 compatible). If possible, submitted
files should conform to ISO 15930-1: 2001 PDF/X-1a file
format standard. Non- standard, application, or native file
formats are not acceptable. Page size: must conform to
specified publication trim size. Page bleed: must extend
minimum 1/8? beyond trim for page head, foot, and
front. Safety margin: type and other non-bleed content
must clear trim by minimum 1/2? Advertising copy shall
be restricted to paper currency, allied numismatic
material, publications and related accessories. The
SPMC does not guarantee advertisements, but accepts
copy in good faith, reserving the right to reject
objectionable or inappropriate material or edit copy.
The SPMC assumes no financial responsibility
for typographical errors in ads but agrees to reprint that
portion of an ad in which a typographical error occurs.
Editor Sez
Benny Bolin
Benny
We're Baaaack--Or are we? Wouldn't you know it. Just when we
thought we had kicked this pandemic stuff to the curb, along comes
Delta. With the rise in the numbers, I encourage you all to get
vaccinated, wear masks inside and generally practice good and safe
mingling. Who knows where this will lead--will masks be once again
required? Will shows be cancelled? Who knows as those decisions
will be made by, it seems, politicians and not medical personnel!
Anyway, summer FUN happened and it was a really good show by
all accounts and summer ANA was simply GREAT! Due to school
activities (my job), I was not able to attend either and that was a real
bummer. Due to the narrow focus of my collecting, I primarily go to
shows for the social aspect, renewing old friendships and simply
seeing people in person. I really miss that!
At the ANA, our officers and governors were able to bestow many
of our awards in person rather than virtually as we had to do last
year. Congratulations to all the winners! Also the NLG named Paper
Money the best club periodical-small circulation and named our
Uncoupled column best paper money column. Congratulations to all
of our authors, advertisers and columnists for making this great
award possible and to Joe and Fred!
I also want to apologize for two egregious mistakes in the last
issue. First in the table of contents for advertisers, I referred to
Robert Whitmire--it is Richard! Also, when I was formatting Mr.
Bryan's table, I inadvertently took out some much need parentheses
which changed a lot of distinction of the notes. Mr. Bryan explains
how it should be in this issue and a corrected table is available if you
email me. My sincerest apologies to both gentlemen.
This issue sadly reflects the loss of three of our hobby giants--
Fred Reed, Rocky Rockholt and Gerome Walton. They will all be
sadly missed by our society and our hobby as a whole.
I want to bring up the Nov/Dec issue. It is the last issue of the
60th year of the SPMC. If all that I have planned goes as I envision it
in my head this issue will be a really good one. I hope to model it
after what Fred did for the 40th anniversary in 2001. Remembrances,
pictures, up-to-date facts and all will be included. If you have a
thought, reminiscence, picture of how the society, hobby and/or
journal have changed, especially in the past 20 years, send it to me
and I will try to include it simply based on space available.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
324
The Society of Paper Money
Collectors was organized in 1961 and
incorporated in 1964 as a non-profit
organization under the laws of the
District of Columbia. It is
affiliated with the ANA. The
Annual Meeting of the SPMC is
held in June at the International
Paper Money Show. Information
about the SPMC, including the
by-laws and activities can be
found at our website--
www.spmc.org. The SPMC does
not does not endorse any dealer,
company or auction house.
MEMBERSHIP?REGULAR and
LIFE. Applicants must be at least 18
years of age and of good moral
character. Members of the ANA or
other recognized numismatic
societies are eligible for membership.
Other applicants should be sponsored
by an SPMC member or provide
suitable references.
MEMBERSHIP?JUNIOR.
Applicants for Junior membership
must be from 12 to 17 years of age
and of good moral character. A parent
or guardian must sign their
application. Junior membership
numbers will be preceded by the letter
?j? which will be removed upon
notification to the secretary that the
member has reached 18 years of age.
Junior members are not eligible to
hold office or vote.
DUES?Annual dues are $39. Dues
for members in Canada and Mexico
are $45. Dues for members in all
other countries are $60. Life
membership?payable in installments
within one year is $800 for U.S.; $900
for Canada and Mexico and $1000
for all other countries. The Society
no longer issues annual membership
cards but paid up members may
request one from the membership
director with an SASE.
Memberships for all members who
joined the Society prior to January
2010 are on a calendar year basis
with renewals due each December.
Memberships for those who joined
since January 2010 are on an annual
basis beginning and ending the
month joined. All renewals are due
before the expiration date, which can
be found on the label of Paper
Money. Renewals may be done via
the Society website www.spmc.org
or by check/money order sent to the
secretary.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS!
BY FRANK CLARK
SPMC MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR
NEW MEMBERS 07/05/2021
15297 Mark Clemmer, Website
15298 Juan Echeverri, ANA Ad
15299 James Sommers, Coin TV
15300 Larry Jewett, Website
15301 BT Roberts, Website
15302 Royal H. Mapes, R. Calderman
15303 Dar Makram, Frank Clark
15304 Jere Singleton, Website
15305 Denise Dugan-Edwards, Website
15306 Larry Ray, Website
REINSTATEMENTS
6026 Ronald Benice,
LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
None
NEW MEMBERS 08/05/2021
15307 Daniel Gopal, R. Calderman
15308 Adam Stroup, Website
15309 David Schoenbach, Website
15310 Curtis Schutte, ANA Ad
15311 Michael Waller, R. Calderman
15312 Wayne Miyanishi, PMG
15313 Arthur Hickok, Website
15314 Cynthia Weaver, PMG
15315 Tony Chibbaro, R. Calderman
15316 Kent Adams, R. Calderman
15317 Andy Conroy, PM Forum
15318 Stephen Tousignant, PMG
15319 Jack Barron, Website
15320 Jim Cook, Website
15321 Bobbie Mulls, R. Calderman
REINSTATEMENTS
None
LIFE MEMBERSHIPS
None
Dues Remittal Process
Send dues directly to
Robert Moon
SPMC Treasurer
104 Chipping Ct
Greenwood, SC 29649
Refer to your mailing label for when
your dues are due.
You may also pay your dues online at
www.spmc.org.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
325
In Memoriam
The Hobby and the SPMC Has Lost Three Giants
Fred Reed
Our esteemed friend and editor of Paper Money, Fred Reed passed away on Saturday, July 24
Fred L. Reed III was Honorary Life Member #24. An author, researcher, editor, Fred was indeed a stalwart in our
hobby. He was born in Syracuse, NY and attended Oklahoma State University. He joined the Coin World staff in 1975
until he left in 1981. He took over and revitalized the SPMC?s Paper Money as editor from 1999 to 2013. He also was
editor of the TAMS journal. Besides serving as Editor Extraordinaire, he also served the society as Secretary, and served
on the board of governors from 1998-2001. The society awarded him an Award of Merit in 2000 and the Nathan Gold
award in 1996. He was named to the SPMC Hall of Fame in 2015. His career spanned many genres. He was the
writer/editor in the baseball card field and served as VP with Beckett Publications. His books included Civil War Encased
Stamps: The Issuers and Their Times published in 1995 as well as a book on a related topic, Civil War Stamp Envelopes:
Their Issuers and Their Times. With many irons in the fire, Fred was an avid researcher on Abraham Lincoln culminating
with his book Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness published in 2009 followed by Abraham Lincoln: Beyond
the American Icon published in 2013. He authored Show Me the Money: The Standard Catalog of Motion Picture, TV,
Stage, and Advertising Prop Money published in 2005. He was the author of a ?Numis-mystery? series from 1976-1977,
and The Week that Was and Spare Change columns in Coin World . A very prolific writer, Fred contributed many articles
to Bank Note Report, Coin World and Numismatic News to name a few publications.
It was indeed a shock to learn of Fred?s passing. I always counted Fred as a friend and mentor. He helped me learn
the ins and outs of writing a good article. I was proud to be a contributor to a couple of his books.
Mark Anderson, past President and Treasurer and current member of the BoG of the SPMC remembers
Fred; Fred was an unusually perfect fit for the SPMC?s journal AND his role in its executive. He arrived at a time of
desperate need, and righted Paper Money?s seriously listing ship immediately and professionally, getting us back on
schedule and fulfilling our key obligation to our members. But he didn?t stop there. Over time, he increased the size of
the magazine, took it into the age of color, and made anniversary issues true celebratory events.
Fred was a true collector, and his personal publications, about movie money and Lincoln, reflected this. He
introduced and championed the SPMC Hall of Fame, and was always a creative, engaged force at the board meetings
and in the stewardship of the SPMC.
At the same time, he was intensely private, and we all wished he had a phone, but over time I came to understand
how that choice worked for him, and allowed his intensely productive operating style. The arrival of his debilitating
stroke could never have been untimelier. We lost an active, vibrant participant in our passion and our lives. We all owe
him.?
Wendell Wolka, past President (et.al.) and current member of the BoG remembers Fred; I was fortunate to
count Fred Reed as a friend and mentor. He was a capable and talented editor and publisher and was instrumental in
bringing the Society through a rough patch when the magazine had not been published for a rather large number of
issues a number of years ago. He did all this and more without fanfare and was the consummate gentleman who believed
in doing the right thing the right way every time. God bless.
Pierre Fricke also a past President and current member of the BoG as well as a currency dealer says: Fred was one
of the great researchers, historians, and leaders of our numismatic, Lincoln and other history. I had the honor of co-
authoring a book with him on the History of Collecting Confederate Paper Money and his research, writings and advice
was invaluable. He has made a great contribution to our hobby and our understanding of our history!. I miss Fred
greatly and only hope I can carry on his work in my work to the degree he would find enlightening and interesting.
Frank Clark also remembers Fred: I cannot remember when I met Fred Reed, but it was long ago in the 1980s
as we both lived in Dallas and saw each other quite often at the local shows and coin clubs. We began to run into each
other at a once monthly Sunday only stamp show that was near my mother's house in the early 1990s. It was at this time
that I learned that Fred lived near my mother and in fact he lived about halfway or roughly six miles between my house
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and my mom's. Later when I
became president of SPMC in
1999, this fact proved very
beneficial as I could visit with
Fred either on my way to or on my
way home from my mom's.
After Gene Hessler stepped
down as editor of Paper Money,
SPMC lacked an effective editor
and the publication of our
bimonthly journal fell greatly
behind and several members
wondered if SPMC had disbanded.
Fred volunteered to serve as
editor and I spent a lot of time over
at his house helping to get the
back issues of Paper Money
out. Due to Fred, SPMC went
from not publishing a single issue
of Paper Money for many months
to sending a new journal every few
weeks to the membership until we
were caught up. Then, Fred
started working on our large 40th
anniversary issue of Paper Money,
which had 160 pages and a
massive amount of information on
the society.
Treasurer Mark Anderson
was so impressed with our hard
(well mostly Fred's) work that he
had made up for each of us a
special award consisting of a
model railroad car on a train track
attached to a base with a
name plate that stated the "Back
on Track Award." Fred and I
were very moved by this
award. Every time I look at the
award, I think about those days
and evenings getting Paper Money
"back on track." SPMC owes
Fred a big "thank you" and "job
well done." It is the friendships
that make our hobby so great.
Current BoG member Gary
Dobbins remembers Fred was
Editor when I first became a
Governor. He was always a kind
person and handled his SPMC
duties capably and with grace.
Raymond H.
(Rocky) Rockholt.
Rocky (SPMC member
#1354), as he was affectionately
known to those of us in the hobby,
especially the fractional world was
born in Oklahoma and attended
SMU in Dallas.
Rocky was a long-time
member of the SPMC and was
awarded an Award of Merit in
1975.
Rocky was a collector of
everything, beginning in the
1950?s until he decided to
specialize in fractional currency.
The highlights of his collection of
fractional was sold by NASCA in
September 1981 and had many
important pieces from the
collections of Matt Rothert, Dr.
Kenneth Sartoris and George Wait
which were eagerly bought up and
went into some of the best
collections of Fractional,
including the Milt Friedberg
collection, the Martin Gengerke
collection and the Wallace Lee
collection to name a few.
He was a contributor to Coin
World, Numismatic News and
Paper Money. He also contributed
to the paper money books of
William Donlon and was author of
Minnesota Notes and Scrip which
was published by the SPMC. In
the later stages of his collecting
career, he was interested in U.S.
Food Stamps. He authored United
States Department of Agriculture
Food Stamp and Food Coupon
Program-1939-1999.
Gerome Walton
Preeminent Nebraska
National Collector and Authority
Gerome Walton passed away on
July 22. Mr. Walton was born in
Geneva Nebraska and graduated
from the High School there in
1952.
Walton devoted his free time
to amassing the most
comprehensive collection of
Nebraska national bank notes ever
assembled. His publication in
1978 of History of Nebraska
Banking and Paper Money was a
pioneering release of an
encyclopedic book on the national
bank note issues from a particular
state. The book was 647-pages. He
tirelessly researched obsolete
Nebraska note-issuing banks as
well as Nebraska national banks,
with a focus on the personalities
that ran those banks and signed the
notes. His work fitted those stories
into the large tapestry of the
growth of not only Nebraska but
also the nation?s banking
enterprise.
He was the first person to
crack into the national bank note
proofs in the National Numismatic
Collection in the Smithsonian
Institution. The transfer of the
proofs began from the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing in 1966
and was completed in 1980.
Gerome got wind that the
nationals had already arrived as he
was gearing up to work on his
book. Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli
was the curator at the time but was
very tight-lipped about the proofs
because they were in a poor state
of organization and poorly housed,
and besides he had little interest in
them. The other great contribution
associated with Gerome's book
was his compilation of yearly bank
by-bank president and cashier
officer data from the annual
reports of the Comptroller of the
Currency.
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The End of
Silver Certificates
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to explain why and how silver certificate currency was phased out.
That process resulted in two fabulous silver rushes: (1) a brief run in March 1964 on silver dollars held by
the Treasury and (2) a year-long run ending June 24, 1967, to redeem silver certificates for silver bullion.
Thus, ended an 89-year run of silver backed currency issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Introduction
The monetization of silver was a cause c?l?bre of the Democrats because they saw it as a means to
spread wealth to the common man. Silver often was central to Democratic political platforms through the
latter half of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries with political wins in the form of various silver
purchase acts beginning with the Bland-Allison Act of 1878. It was the cornerstone in the presidential
campaigns of populist orator William Jennings Bryant, who wrestled control of the Democratic Party from
the conservative Cleveland wing of the party at the 1896 Democratic Convention to emerge as the
presidential candidate in 1896 and 1900. Although Jennings? runs were unsuccessful, his dream of
unlimited coinage of silver was finally realized under FDRs New Deal Treasury beginning in 1933. It is
almost ironic that silver currency was demonetized under Democratic presidents Kennedy and Johnson
between 1961 and 1968.
Republicans demonized silver as soft, cheap, inflationary currency backed by dollar coins that
didn?t contain a dollars-worth of silver in the world?s commodity markets. They were troubled by the fact
that the commodity value of silver was propped up by guaranteed floor prices that the U.S. mint was
required to pay for it under the terms of the silver purchase acts?acts that were viewed as huge subsidies
to western miners.
But the reason that Kennedy and his Treasury wanted to void the silver purchase acts turned on the
fact that by the time Kennedy took office, industry demand for silver was soaring so the commodity price
of silver was rising to the point where the silver in the silver coins was going to be worth more on
international commodity markets than the nominal value of the coins. It was evident that it wouldn?t be
long before the easiest way to mine silver would be to melt down U.S. silver coins!
Silver certificates comprised only seven percent of the total paper money supply of the country in
1961, so replacing them with Federal Reserve notes was not a big issue. As a practical matter, the switch
with the paper money could be handled quickly and painlessly by running the printing presses. However,
the difficult issue facing Kennedy?s Treasury was the potential sudden loss of subsidiary silver coins?the
The Paper
Column
Peter Huntoon
Figure 1. $10 was the highest denomination issued in small-size silver
certificates. Smithsonian photo.
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dimes, quarters and half dollars?if they were scavenged from circulation for their silver content. What
would take their place? Fractional currency?
The circulation of subsidiary silver coins had a nominal value of $1.5 billion in 1961. How could
the Treasury swap those silver coins out for base metal coins without the public first mining them from
circulation as predicted by Gresham?s law? As you watch this story unfold, keep your eye on the
machinations that were developed to maintain the circulation of subsidiary coins until the deed was pulled
off. What transpired with the paper was almost a side show.
One irony here is that in replacing the silver certificates with Federal Reserve notes, the Democrats
succeeded in replacing their reviled soft silver currency that used to be redeemable in overvalued silver for
Federal Reserve notes that were backed 25 percent by gold at the time, although that gold was not accessible
to the note holder. President Johnson signed legislation in 1969 that removed the previously required gold
backing for Federal Reserve notes, yielding the fiat currency that lines your wallets today. The result is that
your money is even softer than the silver certificates.
There were several silver purchase acts dating from 1878. Those dealing with purchases and sales
of silver during the small note era were the Acts of June 19, 1934, July 6, 1939, July 12, 1943 and July 31,
1946. A common thread among them was authorization for the Treasury to purchase silver at or below
some threshold price, respectively 50, 71.11, 71.11 and 90.5 cents per ounce for the 1934, 1939, 1943 and
1946 acts. If the commodity price rose above the threshold, the Treasury could or would sell at the threshold
and thereby keep the market price in check. Prior to the late 1950s, production of silver usually exceeded
commercial demand, so the Treasury became the largest purchaser, holder and market-maker for silver.
Benchmarks
To understand this topic, there are certain benchmarks to keep in mind. Silver dollars minted from
1878 forward contained 0.77345 ounces of silver. If the value of silver on the world?s commodities market
reached $1.29292 per ounce, the silver content of silver dollars equaled its normal face value. Above that
price, it would become economic to melt the coins to refine the silver from them. Subsidiary silver coins
had a lower silver content so it would take a silver commodities price of $1.38 per oz to make it worth
melting them.
There were two classes of Treasury silver; silver dollars and bullion earmarked for the redemption
of outstanding silver certificates and so-called free silver bullion that was not earmarked to back silver
certificates. The free silver was used to make minor silver coins, traded in the commodity markets to
Figure 2. The deposit in the Treasury backing Series of 1928 and 1933 silver certificates was ?silver dollar(s)
payable to the bearer on demand.? Smithsonian photo.
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regulate the price of non-monetized silver, and held as a critical metal in a strategic stockpile.
The problem faced by the Treasury going into the Kennedy era was that demand for silver had
begun to exceed silver production. Specifically, world silver demand in 1961 was 300 million ounces versus
silver production of 235 million ounces (NYT, Nov 29, 1961). Treasury?s free silver sales were depleting
its free silver stock as it sold silver into the commodity markets to hold the price of silver down. Now,
instead of providing a subsidy to silver miners, the Treasury was subsidizing silver users and through this
action discouraging silver production.
Kennedy Actions
Treasury officials were fully aware that the silver problem was upon them before Kennedy was
inaugurated. His Treasury appointees, led by Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillon, ?started boning up
on it even before they took office? (NYT, Nov 29, 1961, p 1). President Kennedy took office on January
20, 1961.
Kennedy ordered the sale of free silver to cease on November 28, 1961. At the time, the Treasury
held about 1.7 billion ounces of silver, but by then only 22 million ounces of free silver remained. The
Treasury was selling its free silver at 91 cents/oz and it would run out of it within a week. (NYT, Nov 29,
1961).
Of the 1.7 billion ounces earmarked to back silver certificates, 1.2 billion backed $1s and 0.5 billion
backed $5s and $10s. The annual demand for subsidiary U.S. silver coinage was 50 million ounces. A
burning question was where would the coinage silver come from? The Treasury could redeem silver
certificates, thus freeing up their silver backing and use that silver to make the subsidiary coins. However,
the Treasury had no leeway to reduce the circulation of the $1s silver certificates because the only
authorized $1s were silver certificates and they were required in circulation. An idea that was floated was
that the Treasury could redeem the $5 and $10 silver certificates, which would free up enough silver bullion
for use in coining subsidiary coins to last a decade. (NYT, Nov 29, 1961).
Act of June 3, 1963 ? Silver Purchases Repealed
Kennedy called for Congress to repeal the silver purchase acts, and legislation to do so was
introduced in February 1962, and again in 1963. The repeal was enacted on June 4, 1963.
Dillon (1963) stated that a primary purpose for the repeal was to provide adequate supplies of silver
to meet the subsidiary coinage needs of the nation. The legislation incorporated four important provisions
beyond the repeal of the silver purchases.
The act authorized the issuance of $1 and $2 Federal Reserve notes, the use of which would allow
the Treasury to retire $1 silver certificates. This had the dual benefit of freeing the silver bullion used to
back the silver certificates for use in minting coins without diminishing the supply of $1 notes.
The act stated ?Silver certificates shall be exchangeable on demand at the Treasury of the United
States for silver dollars or, at the option of the Secretary of the Treasury, at such places as he may designate,
for silver bullion of a monetary value equal to the face amount of the certificates.? This provision set the
Figure 3. The deposit in the Treasury backing Series of 1934, 1935, 1953 and
1957 silver certificates was ?dollar(s) in silver [bullion] payable to the
bearer on demand.? Heritage Auction archives photo.
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value for the 0.7734 ounces of silver in a silver dollar at $1, which established the price of silver bullion at
$1.29292/oz.
The act authorized the sale of free Treasury silver should the market price rise above $1.2929/oz.
The act repealed the heavy silver tax on silver transactions in the market, which in effect freed the
market from government control.
The process of demonetizing silver had commenced. However, the Treasury had to work through
the problem of replacing the silver money?silver certificates and subsidiary silver coins?without
disrupting commerce. The paper money was not much of a problem. Deliveries of $1 silver certificates
from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to the Treasury Department continued through November 6,
1963, whereas deliveries of the $1 Federal Reserve notes commenced the following day. The tough problem
involved the subsidiary silver coinage. Dealing with that would take until the end of 1968, which would
involve not only making non-silver coins but also taking whatever steps were necessary to discourage
people from mining the silver coins from circulation for their silver content.
The market price of silver hit $1.2929 on September 1, 1963. At that time, interest in redeeming
silver certificates to obtain silver began to look viable to speculators.
The printing of silver certificates was terminated with the last deliveries from the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing to the Treasury being as follows (Donlon, 1979):
$1 Series of 1935H October 4, 1963
$1 Series of 1957B November 6, 1963
$5 Series of 1953C November 12, 1963
$10 Series of 1953B March 14, 1962
The Treasury stopped releasing silver certificates in early October 1964 (Barr, 1967, p. 13). The
last of the $5s and $10s weren?t issued. In fact, the highest serial printed in the $5 1953B series was
G45000000A and that entire block as well as all the 1953C notes never were released.
President Kennedy was assassinated November 22, 1963, and President Johnson assumed the
presidency. Douglas Dillon continued as Secretary of the Treasury.
Run on Silver Dollars
There was pending legislation to provide for the minting of silver dollars before Congress, but that
provision was eliminated from the appropriation bill on March 20, 1964, a Friday. This precipitated a run
on the silver dollars held by the Treasury (NYT, Mar 24, 1964). Photos appeared in newspapers and the
numismatic press of crowds in a line snaking around the Treasury building in Washington. Dillon told
Congress that the demand was driven by numismatists, not bullion dealers wanting to melt the coins.
Dealers and collectors simply wanted to redeem their silver certificates for long untouched bags of dollars
so they could search for rare varieties. The remainders often were deposited quickly into banks, which
represented a nuisance to the bankers because the coins were expensive to handle and to ship because the
banks had no use for them.
The situation evolved rapidly. A Treasury press release the evening of Wednesday March 25, 1964,
Figure 4. The most attractive small-size $1 notes that were issued were the
Series of 1934 silver certificates. Mike Abramson photo.
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led off with ?Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon tonight announced that silver certificates will henceforth
be redeemed in silver bullion only.? Thus, the run on the silver dollars was over in a few days.
The Treasury held 49,261,000 silver dollars as security for silver certificates on June 30, 1963.
Dillon?s press release advised that they had moved many to the western states where the dollars still
circulated. On January 1, 1964, 28 million silver dollars remained in Washington, including 3 million that
were deemed to have special numismatic value, 2.8 million of which were minted in Carson City. The
Treasury paid out 25 million, most during the March run, but withheld the 3 million.
The silver bullion was made available at the New York and San Francisco assay offices, not the
Treasury in Washington. Holders of silver certificates could redeem them for 100- and 1000-ounce silver
bars and granules?variable sized pellets used to make change?at $1.29292/oz (Barr, 1967, p. 24).
In the meantime, production of subsidiary silver coins was ramped up. In an extraordinary move,
the Treasury won passage of an act on September 3, 1964, that froze the date on the silver coins at 1964
until adequate supplies were available. The reasoning was to prevent the mints from creating additional
date varieties in 1965 that collectors would scavenge from circulation, particularly the already wildly
popular silver Kennedy half dollars.
Coinage Act of July 23. 1965
Henry H. Fowler was appointed Secretary of the Treasury to replace Douglas Dillon on April 1,
1965. The Treasury and Congress had to move on replacing the subsidiary silver coinage with the result
that Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1965 on July 23rd. This act carried a number of significant
provisions, most important being that the subsidiary silver coins were to be replaced by clad coins. The new
half dollars contained only 4.6 grams of silver and silver was absent from the dimes and quarters.
The law also provided for continued production of subsidiary silver coins until the Secretary of the
Treasury was satisfied that there were sufficient supplies of both silver and clad coins in commerce to allow
the production of the silver versions to be discontinued. Thus, 1964-dated silver coins stayed in
simultaneous production alongside the newly authorized clad coins.
To reenforce the perception by the public that all the money in circulation had equal standing in
order to tamp down hoarding of the silver coins, the act reiterated that all coins and currencies of the United
States, including Federal Reserve and national bank issues, regardless of when made, were legal tender.
The act gave the Secretary of the Treasury broad authority to promulgate rules and regulations
pertaining to the exportation and melting of U.S. coins that in his judgment protected the coinage of the
United States. This delegation of authority carried with it fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment up to
five years for each violation.
A curious minor provision in the act forbade the use of mint marks on the clad coins for a period
of five years. As with the previous freezing of the 1964 date on silver coins, this directive was designed to
eliminate varieties that collectors would scavenge from circulation, thus exacerbating potential coin
shortages during the silver to clad transition period. Section 5 of the Act of June 24, 1967, repealed this
restriction so mint marks reappeared on coinage in 1968.
Figure 5. The only class of $1 notes being printed between mid-1933 and 1963
were silver certificates. Heritage Auction archives photo.
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A deliberate decision was made to produce so many 1964 Kennedy silver halves that they would
command little numismatic value. Ultimately almost a half billion of them were minted but they rarely
circulated owing to hoarding. Thus, this part of the plan backfired because the production of the 1964
Kennedy halves seriously chewed through Treasury silver stocks, which required the redemption of silver
certificates to free up that silver.
Production of the clad 10, 25 and 50 cent coins commenced respectively on August 23, December
6 and December 30, 1965. However, production of the 1964-dated subsidiary silver coins continued through
April 1966. The clads were dated 1965, a date that was used on them until August 1, 1966, when normal
yearly dating was reinstituted. (Tebben, 2015).
As the transition from silver to clad subsidiary coins unfolded, a juggling act was in play to keep
the channels of commerce flooded with both silver and clad coins as well as sell off sufficient silver to
stabilize the silver market sufficiently to make it uneconomic to melt the silver coins until they could be
replaced entirely by the clads. The silver sales had to accommodate international as well as domestic buyers
to quell the market.
A growing run was developing for purchases of silver from the Treasury in May 1967, mostly
attributed for export (Fowler, Dec 30, 1968). Strong additional steps were taken by Secretary Fowler using
the authority vested in him by the Coinage Act of July 23, 1965. He terminated the sale of silver to all but
domestic industrial users and instituted a ban on the melting and export of silver coins on May 18, 1967
(NYT, May 19, 1967).
Run on Silver Bullion
Fowler?s May 18th actions set off a bullion run by speculators, quickly causing the Treasury to
require an end-use certificate that insured that the silver was being used for a legitimate domestic industrial
purpose (NYT, May 20, 1967).
Next on June 24, 1967, Treasury won a hastily passed act of Congress that allowed the Treasury to
write off as much as $200 million worth of irretrievably lost small-size silver certificates that would never
be submitted for redemption. $147,717,000 worth of silver certificates was written off six days later freeing
up 116 million ounces of silver that was transferred to the free silver stockpile (Fowler, 1968, p. 77). The
remaining $52,283,000 was written off April 1, 1968 (WP, Apr 1, 1968).
The June 24, 1967, act also specified that redemption of silver certificates for silver bullion would
cease on June 24, 1968. This gave the holders of silver certificates a full year to redeem them for bullion.
The act allowed for the sale of Treasury silver at not less than $1.2929/oz. Consequently, sales of
silver at $1.2929/oz ceased July 14th and resumed at going market rates on a sealed bid basis (NYT, Jul 15,
1967).
Suddenly the world changed. The great silver certificate redemption of 1967-1968 was launched
Figure 6. A market quickly developed to funnel silver certificates
to New York where brokers exchanged them for silver bullion
during the great silver redemption rush of 1967-1968. This ad ran
continuously in the New York Times.
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and those of us who lived through it never had seen anything like it before!
The market price of silver was free to rise. Americans couldn?t mine silver coins from circulation
owing to the prohibition against melting coins, but they could redeem their silver certificates for bullion at
$1.2929/ounce and sell it immediately for a profit in the commodities market.
The Treasury officials were confident they had pumped sufficient clad coins into the banking
system by mid-1967 to meet the nation?s commercial needs?there were now 8.5 billion of them (Fowler,
Dec 30, 1968). They also knew that there would be a mad scramble by the public to hoard the silver
subsidiary coins from circulation and there was. This hoarding would be rewarded when the ban on melting
and exporting silver coins was lifted on May 12, 1969, by order of Secretary of the Treasury David M.
Kennedy. Kennedy exercised his authority to do so in accord with the Coinage Act of 1965, and General
Counsel Paul W. Eggers issued the order (Kennedy, 1969, p. 380).
Treasury officials also were aware that the more than 800 million 40% silver clad 1965 half dollars
were not circulating owing to hoarding. They recommended getting the silver out of future half dollar
production because circulating halves were needed in commerce (Fowler, Dec 30, 1968). This was
accomplished through an act passed December 31, 1970, that took effect with halves dated 1971.
The Treasury also was scooping up as many silver coins as it could. This was carried out without
fanfare through the Federal Reserve banks. As the clads became available, the stream of mixed silver and
clad coins circulating back to the Federal Reserve banks from commercial banks were withdrawn, stored
and replaced by the clads. In time, when the technology became available, the silver coins were sorted from
the mixtures so the silver could be recovered. In the interim, the incoming streams continued to be
stockpiled until some threshold was reached where it was no longer economical to sort out the ever-
diminishing silver fraction.
On July 31, 1967, the Treasury held 81 million ounces of silver in its coin inventory. Over the next
16 months an additional 186 million ounces of silver were salvaged from the coins retained by the Federal
Reserve banks. These two stocks were melted to support silver sales designed to continue dampening the
rise in the price of silver in order to discourage the scavenging of silver coins from circulation. (Fowler,
Dec 30, 1968).
A market quickly organized to funnel silver certificates to brokers in New York. The brokers
redeemed notes for silver bullion and granules at $1.2929/oz. They in turn sold the bullion on the silver
market at the prevailing price.
Coin and paper money dealers quickly got on board buying silver certificates from holders in their
region and selling them to the New York brokers. The notes could be moved through the mail or
accumulated by regional middlemen who sent them by courier to New York. Individuals and anyone
handling money including employees of commercial banks could shortcut the process by selling directly to
the New York brokers. It was a mad scramble that in a matter of weeks evolved into a well-oiled machine
where everyone was working on a percentage basis with what seemed like money raining from the sky!
Figure 7. For all the tens of millions of dollars? worth of silver certificates
that came in during the bullion rush, no one reported finding a single Series
of 1933 $10. William Baeder photo.
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Converting Silver Certificates into Bullion
The following is a window into the process from the perspective of Nathan Taylor, the self-
proclaimed largest broker, who set up ten currency exchange offices in New York. He talked to reporters
from both the Washington Post and New York Times.
From the Washington Post (Dec 26, 1967):
Nathan Taylor of Terminal Trading Corp., the largest of the silver certificate redemption centers in the
nation, said his headquarters at 70 W. 23rd St. in New York is being swamped with registered mail
containing silver certificates from all parts of the country. The premium the holder receives from Terminal
is directly connected with the closing prices of spot silver on the New York Commodity Exchange on the
day the registered mail arrives.
Taylor said the search for silver certificates has brought money out of unusual hiding places.
?It?s interesting the places people select for hiding,? Taylor said. ?We can tell from the odor which
certificates have been hidden in moth balls or cedar closets, which have been buried in the earth, hidden in
musty attics or stored in damp cellars. Each has a distinctive odor.?
Taylor said one batch of silver certificates received from Monrovia, Liberia must have been buried for
almost 20 years.
?If we sneezed near them we were sure they would disintegrate,? Taylor said. ?They were too fragile
to put through the ticometer for counting and because of the difficulty in handling, it took one of our
cashiers an exceptionally long time to count them.?
Excerpts from the New York Times (Feb 28, 1968):
The lucrative smell of money fills the cramped storefront offices of the Terminal Trading Company at
70 West 23d Street here * * * where the cashiers at the shop exchange new dollar bills for the dwindling
supply of ?silver certificates? delivered by mail and in person each business day. For each of the old $1,
$5 and $10 bills exchanged, the company pays a premium of between 35 and 45 percent over face value.
?Smell it,? Nathan Taylor, president of the company, said the other day as he examined the morning?s
mail. ?The stuff comes out of mattresses, home freezers, cellars, the ground under African huts, South
American barnyards, as well as safe deposit boxes and from between the pages of books.?
The bearer of a silver certificate was promised the right to exchange it for silver at the rate of a bit more
than $1.29 an ounce. But the price of silver has soared and last Friday the Government?s weekly auction
of .999 fine metal brought more than $1.80 an ounce.
Last August, the idea struck Mr. Taylor that many silver certificates, worth more than their face amount
even then, were slipping out of the public?s hands at face value and nothing more. At the time, his Terminal
Trading Company was engaged primarily in cashing checks under contract with concerns that did not want
to handle cash payrolls and yet wanted to ease the check-cashing problems of their employees.
?We decided to place a few small ads in papers around the country, offering to pay a premium for the
silver certificates,? the pipe-smoking executive recalled. ?In our first month, last August, we handled about
$150,000. Today, we average about $1-million a month.?
The prices paid depend on the silver quotes received during each day in his office over the ticker of
Commodity Exchange, Inc., New York. Since last summer, a network of agents has been set up around the
Figure 8. It wasn?t long into the 1967-1968 rush that these last 1957 series $1s
vanished from our wallets. Everyone was scavenging them from circulation.
Heritage Auction archives photo.
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world by Terminal Trading as well.
Consequently, large sums have been received from such lands as Liberia, where United States money
is the official currency, and from far-flung places where dollars have become the only means of savings
because of devaluations, inflation and general instability.
At home, many of the parcels of silver certificates received by registered mail also contain notes
explaining gratuitously why the dollars have been amassed and not banked, often, why they smell. One
dollar bill that Mr. Taylor does not intend to part with bears a typed line at the top margin: ?First B-29
Squadron to land on Saipan-Sept. 19, 1944.?
Some of the bills come in odd forms, woven into quilt-like sheets or with edges glued and rolled into
tight rolls, in the shape of flags, and the like.
Most common is the smell of mothballs or of the ground the bills were buried in, and many are
discolored, brittle or tattered. Regardless of how they look, the Terminal Trading people collect them each
day and send them to the Federal Reserve, to be exchanged for silver bullion at the rate of $1.29 an ounce.
?We used to get the triple-nine stuff [.999 fine] from the San Francisco mint,? Mr. Taylor said. ?Now
we seem to be getting .965 fine metal at slightly less cost.?
The bullion is either sold to industry or private holders, or refined to .999 fine and sent to the banks that
keep the Commodity Exchange?s silver used for trading in the form of contracts for future delivery. All
silver earmarked for futures trading must be .999 fine and each contract consists of 10,000 ounces.
I was a beginning graduate student at the University of Arizona in Tucson with little money and
limited free time to get in on the bullion rush. It quickly became obvious that silver certificates were fast
disappearing from circulation. I did manage to accumulate a couple hundred or so of them during the early
part of the rush. I mailed them to a broker named Pep Levin in Pennsauken, New Jersey, who ran saturation
ads in Coin World offering to buy them.
What you were paid is explained in this excerpt from The Washington Post (Feb 25, 1968). ?Buyers
of silver certificates have based their payments on the spot bid price of silver at the close of the silver
commodity trading day. One firm, claiming to have bought more than $6 million worth of certificates, has
paid 41% above face value on Jan. 29; 35% the next day; 40% Feb 1, and 36% as of Feb 9.?
The Party Ended June 24th, 1968, a Monday
Excerpts from the New York Times (June 25, 1968):
About a dozen people were camped outside the United States Assay Office at Old Slip and South Street
at 11 o?clock last night when one sergeant of the Mint Service guard arrived at work. They wanted to be
sure they would get in under the wire to exchange their hoarded silver certificates.
By the time he had started his second consecutive shift at 8 A.M., the sergeant * * * had seen the crowd
grow to nearly 200. The lines numbered at least 100 most of the day.
They came from as far as Chicago and Randolph, Wis. They carried their bills in attache cases, overnight
bags, shopping bags, even in their fists. Some had to wait as long as three hours for their silver.
In San Francisco, where people take their silver more seriously, some 500 persons waited in line at the
Assay Office in the mint, the Associated Press reported.
Mrs. Richard Vail of Chinchilla, Pa. stood outside the New York Assay office yesterday holding two
Figure 9. The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas used to ship plenty of $5 silver
certificates to Tucson; however, no $10s came our way that I ever saw in the
early 1960s. Heritage Auction archives photo.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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silver bars. Her husband had a plastic bag of silver granules making up ?the change? for the $398 of silver
certificates they exchanged. Mr. Vail explained that they had garnered most of their bills from customers of
their food store. The Vails, noting that they have five children, said they would ?pack their silver in a small
vault and wait.?
Silver for almost immediate delivery was quoted at $2.47 an ounce yesterday on the Commodities
Exchange, where silver futures are traded.
James Pals, who operates a restaurant near O?Hare Field in Chicago, was not sure what he would do with
the $1,200 load of silver he lugged away from Old Slip in a suitcase. ?Just wait, I guess,? he said as he
hurried for a return flight to Chicago.
The Assay Office remained open after its usual 3 o?clock closing time to accommodate the crowds. To
reduce the waiting time, the office issued receipts to those opting for them that will be redeemed in silver
starting July 5 and for five days thereafter. But there was quicker action on the street.
The pay-out window was kept open until about 5 P.M. to take care of everyone in line. The Assay Office
declined to disclose how many silver certificates were sold.
Daniel J. Lander, who specializes in silver certificates at his 101 West 45th Street store, hired a Wells
Fargo armored truck and three guards at $50 an hour and conducted a brisk business at curbside. Mr. Lander
offered $1.60 to $1.65, depending on quantity. ?It?s really silly,? he said. ?I?m not making any money on
this, when you figure the cost of the truck and the guards. This is fantastic stuff, three traders and my own
private guard. But this is my business and this is where the action is.?
Mr. Lander said he could offer a better deal to hoarders, because they would have trouble reselling their
silver. He said they would have to sell the metal at discounts because it had to be refined to commercial
grade from the 899.5 purity offered by the Government and because they would deal in small quantities.
But profit did not seem to be the only motive in many of the hoarders yesterday. David Busse, a
bookkeeper from Randolph, Wis., took away three bars and some granules for the $396 in certificates he
exchanged for his own account and that of three friends. ?They?ll make great paperweights. Maybe some
day they?ll be worth something. But it?s fun having it.?
Those hoarders with more than $1,000 in certificates to exchange were sent to the New York Federal
Reserve Bank on Liberty Street, a few blocks from the New York Stock Exchange. The Reserve, expecting
a large turnout, opened its doors an hour earlier than usual at 8 o?clock when about 50 people waited in line.
But the rush was all over in two hours. Ten dealers, like Mr. Lander, unloaded trucksful during the day.
Perspective
The Treasury Department was caught in a bind in the 1960s as silver prices on the world?s
commodity markets crept above the nominal value of U.S. silver coins. They had to demonetize silver and
at the same time maintain a supply of coins for commerce. The threat they faced was a public that would
scavenge silver coins from circulation and hoard them for their silver content, thus removing coins from
commerce.
It would take time to manufacture base metal coins and get them into circulation. A primary ploy
to tamp down the speculative impulses of the pubic was to artificially hold down the price of silver in the
Figure 10. 1934 series $10 silver certificates were attractive and actively
traded in the 1960s for a few dollars over face if uncirculated. Heritage
Action archives photo.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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commodities markets. This could be accomplished by feeding Treasury silver into the market at a low price,
which, of course, would have to be done on the backs of the tax payers because the government would incur
lost-opportunity costs in the process. The Treasury Department had no choice, so this policy was carried
out as a cost that Treasury officials felt had to be paid.
The obligation on Series of 1928 $1 silver certificates advised that ?one silver dollar? was payable
to the bearer. The obligation on the Series of 1933 $10s promised ?ten dollars in silver coin payable to the
bearer on demand.? Subsequent series stated ?dollar(s) in silver.? There was 0.7734 ounce of silver in a
silver dollar so this was the amount of silver the Treasury paid out for each dollar?s worth of silver
certificates that it redeemed for bullion. This established the value of the bullion at $1.2929/oz.
The Treasury honored this commitment by giving the public a full year to redeem their silver
certificates despite the fact that the price of silver was rising rapidly during that year. The difference
between the $1.2929/oz redemption rate and the higher market rate was another lost-opportunity cost that
taxpayers had to bear. This cost was a measure of the integrity of the Treasury Department as it honored
the obligations printed on these historic certificates.
References Cited and Sources of Data
Act of February 28, 1878, An act to authorize the coinage of the standard silver dollar, and to restore its legal tender character
(Bland-Allison Act), Public Law 45-20, 45th Congress.
Act of June 19, 1934, An act to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase silver, issue silver certificates, and for other
purposes, Public Law 438, H. R. 9745.
Act of July 6, 1939, An act to extend the time within which the powers relating to the stabilization fund and alteration of the weight
of the dollar may be exercised, Public Law 165, H. R. 3325.
Act of July 31, 1946. An act to authorize the use by industry of silver held or owned by the United States. And for other purposes,
Public Law 579, H. R. 4590.
Act of June 4, 1963, An act to repeal certain legislation relating to the purchase of silver, and for other purposes: Public Law 88-
36, 88th Congress, H.R. 5389.
Act of September 3, 1963, An act to authorize the mint to inscribe the figure 1964 on all coins minted until adequate supplies of
coins are available, Public Law 88-580, 88th Congress, S. 2950.
Act of July 23, 1965, An act to provide for the coinage of the United States, Public Law 89-81, 89th Congress, S. 2080.
Act of June 24, 1967, An act to authorize adjustments in the amount of outstanding silver certificates, and for other purposes, Public
Law 90-29, 90th Congress, S. 1352.
Act of December 31, 1970, An act to amend the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, and for other purposes; Title II-provisions
relating to coinage, Public Law 91-607, H. R. 6778.
Barr, Joseph W., Under Secretary of the Treasury, May 1, 1967, Hearing before the Committee on Banking and Currency, House
of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, First Session on H.R. 7476, a bill to authorize adjustments in the amount of
outstanding silver certificates, and for other purposes: U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 57 p.
Camden Courier-Post, Apr 10, 1969, Local coin dealer link to silver smelting probed.
Camden Courier-Post, Jan 22, 2007, Crime figure buried.
Dillon, Douglas, 1962, Annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the state of the finances for fiscal year ended June 30,
1961: U.S. Government Printing Office, 805 p. (Table 58, p. 632)
Dillon, Douglas, 1963, Statement by Secretary of the Treasury Dillon, April 29, 1963, before the Senate Committee on Banking
and Currency on silver; Exhibit 38, p. 400-406: in, Dillon, Douglas, 1964, Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury
on the State of the Finances for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1963: U.S. Government Printing Office, 774 p.
Dillon, Douglas, 1964, Press Release, March 25, 1964, announcing that silver certificates will be redeemed only in bullion; Exhibit
52, p. 368-369: in, Dillon, Douglas, 1965, Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the Finances
for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1964: U.S. Government Printing Office, 711 p.
Donlon, William P. deceased, 1979, Hewitt-Donlon catalog United States paper money, Marc Hudgeons editor: House of
Collectables, Orlando, FL, 188 p.
Fowler, Henry H., 1968, Annual Report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the Finances for the Fiscal Year Ended
June 30, 1967: U.S. Government Printing Office, 794 p.
Fowler, Henry, Dec 30, 1968, Major silver and coinage policy decisions, May 1967-December 1968: text of a Dec 20, 1968, letter
from Secretary Fowler to President Johnson transmitted in a Treasury Department press release, 5 p.
Kennedy, David, 1969, Annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury on the state of the finances for fiscal year ended June 30,
1969: U.S. Government Printing Office, 433 p.
New York Times, Nov. 29, 1961, Silver sale by Treasury ended, President seeks support repeal, p. 1, 61.
New York Times, Mar 24, 1964, Long lines form to buy silver dollars at Treasury, p. 10.
New York Times, May 19, 1967, Treasury acts to protect silver, p. 55.
New York Times, May 20, 1967, Prices surge in topsy-turvy silver market: p. 43, 53.
New York Times, Jul 15, 1967, Treasury halting sales of its silver at $1.29 an ounce, p. 29, 38.
New York Tines, Feb 28, 1968, Silver certificate, profitable scents, p. 65, 71.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Tebben, Gerald, 2015, Clad coinages, ?ugly duckling? of US coins growing into sway?
https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/clad-coins-gerald-tebben-coin-world-1963-numismatics-
circulating-coins.html
Washington Post, Dec 26, 1967, Silver certificate hunting becomes a fad, p. C5.
Washington Post, Feb 25, 1968, Coin changer, silver certificate status: p. F10.
Washington Post, Apr, 1968, More silver certificates written off, p D9.
Figure 11. Some collectors prefer the old large-size silver certificates. There is no accounting for taste. The
Treasury still will redeem them at face in Federal Reserve notes. Heritage Action archives photo.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Lyn Knight Currency Auct ions
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Fr. 379a $1,000 1890 T.N.
Grand Watermelon
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Fr. 183c $500 1863 L.T.
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States Currency
William Fraser White, a Newly Identified Assistant
Register and Bond Signer for the Confederate Treasury
Charles Derby
The Register of the Confederate Treasury
was responsible for recording the
government?s debt, including signing bonds
and their coupons.1 Many men and women
signed bond coupons, but only a few signed
the bonds themselves.1,2,3 As Register,
Alexander Clitherall and later Robert Tyler
signed some bonds, but three other men
signed most of them over the course of the
war. Charles T. Jones, the Treasury?s second
chief clerk of the Register, signed in his other
appointed capacity as Acting Register, and he
signed bonds up until early 1863. By then,
the Confederate government realized that the
increasing number of bonds being issued, all
of which needed to be signed, and the need
for the Register to focus on tasks besides
signing documents required establishing a
new position, Assistant Register.1 Charles
Alexander Rose and Edmund Bacon
Williamson Apperson4 were appointed
Assistant Registers, and Rose signed bonds
from 1863 until the end of the war and
Apperson from mid-1864 to the end of the
war. Confederate bonds with signatures
other than by these men can be found, and
these have typically been attributed to
spurious signatures on remainder or
counterfeit bonds.1 But among the bonds
with signatures other than these five Treasury
officials are several from 1865 signed ?Wm.
F. White.? In this article, I argue that these
bonds were legitimate issues and were signed
by a newly recognized Assistant Register,
William Fraser White, appointed by
Memminger?s successor, George Trenholm.
Bonds signed by ?Wm F. White? as
Assistant Register of the Confederacy
Confederate bonds signed by ?Wm. F.
White? for the Register are 6% nontaxable
call certificates with the ?Man at a turnstile?
vignette, authorized by the Act of February
17, 1864.1 Three denominations with this
signature are known: $100 (Type 178, or B-
362 and -363), $500 (Type 179, or B-364 and
-365), and $1000 (Type 180, or B-366 and -
367). Examples of $1000 and $500 bonds
with Wm. F. White?s signature are shown in
Figure 1. Known examples include bonds to
be issued in Richmond or Norfolk Virginia,
Augusta Georgia, and Mobile Alabama.
They were initialed by recorders such as
?PFG? and ?HGA? who also initialed other
bonds. One bond appears to be fully issued,
initialed by ?TGB? to indicate that it was
entered into the register and issued to the
Exchange Bank of Virginia at Norfolk on
March 22, 1865 (Fig. 2). All known
examples are hand dated March 9, 1865,
which makes them some of the last issued
bonds of this type, since April 1, 1865,
appears to be the last issue date for any of
these ?turnstile? bonds.1 These bonds have
serial numbers, which because of their late
issue date are high, with known numbers
being 28061 for the $1000 bonds, 16371,
16372, 17876, and 19579 for the $500 bonds,
and 17373 for the $100 bonds. Interestingly,
two of these ? the $500 bonds with serial
numbers 16371 and 16372 ? are from Thian?s
albums. The other Assistant Registers, Rose
and Apperson, also signed some of these
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
341
bonds on March 9, 1865, also with high serial
Figure 1. Valid issues of bonds signed by Wm. F. White (top from Heritage Auctions,
bottom from Henry Simmons).
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
342
numbers, so White?s late signing seems not
to be because the other Assistant Registers
were no longer available to sign.
The question at hand is, are these ?Wm. F.
White? bonds valid or spurious issues?
Certainly there are known examples of
spuriously issued remainders and counterfeit
Confederate bonds, including, as we will
soon see, spurious issues of these ?Wm. F.
White? bonds. There are several lines of
evidence supporting the validity of these
bonds and that they were signed by William
Fraser White as a duly appointed Assistant
Register. Key to this argument is the
discovery of a receipt from Major James B.
Ferguson, a Confederate States quartermaster
in Richmond, for the sale on April 9, 1863, of
11 shoe knives for $22 by a ?Wm. F. White?
(Fig. 2).
A comparison of the ?Wm. F. White?
signatures on the Confederate bonds and on
this receipt reveal a perfect match, as shown
in Figure 2.
Beyond these examples of arguably validly
issued bonds, other $1000 turnstile bonds are
known with a ?Wm. F. White? signature that
appears different from valid signatures, as
shown in Figure 3. I argue that they are
spuriously issued. These bonds are $1000
denomination, dated March 9, 1865, recorded
by ?WCl? and with serial numbers of 18164,
18213, 18509, 18612, 18707, of 18809, thus
suggesting that at least 645 of these were
produced. None were fully issued as all lack
other information to be handwritten on the
bonds. Further evidence of their spurious
nature is that the issuer attempted to copy the
initials of a valid recorded bond but failed to
do this accurately, as shown in Figure 3.
The question remains, who is this ?Wm. F.
Fraser? who was selling shoe knives to the
Confederate army in Richmond in 1863?
Figure 2. Left: Receipt for sale of 11 shoe
knives by Wm. F. White to the Confederate
Army in Richmond on April 9, 1863. Right top:
signature from the receipt. Right middle: valid
signature on 1865 bond. Right bottom: spurious
signature on 1865 bond.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
343
William Fraser White
William Fraser White (Fig. 4) was a
Richmonder his entire life (1824-1884). His
parents were Hannah J. Fraser White (1800-
1873) and Phillip King White (1799-1865)
(Fig. 5). William had only one sibling, a
sister, Mary Matilda White (1831-1845), but
she died at age 13 by a lighting strike that also
killed her friend Eliza Ann Putney.5 Phillip
was for many years one of the most
prominent shoe merchants and influential
businessmen in Richmond,6 having real
estate valued at $10,000 in 1850 and personal
estate of $8,000 in 1860.7 Figure 6 shows a
newspaper business advertisement from
1857. Both before and during the War,
William worked and lived with his father8
(Fig. 7). The Whites profited from their
business with the Confederate army, selling
shoes, brogans, and shoe knives to the
Figure 4. William F. White, young and old.
Figure 3. Spurious signatures of ?Wm. F. White.? A comparison of this spurious
signature and that on valid bonds is shown in Figure 2. The spurious issuer also
attempted to copy the initials of a valid recorder but mistakenly used ?WCl? (bottom
left) compared to the valid initials of ?WCC? (bottom right).
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
344
Confederacy for ?the defense of Richmond,?
as attested through contracts and receipts.9
One major contract between Phillip King
White and Major James B. Ferguson,
Quartermaster of the CSA army in
Richmond, was for the sale of 5000 pairs of
brogans at $3.50 per pair10 (Fig. 8). Perhaps
because of his business with the
Confederacy, William?s military service was
as a Private in Company I, 1st Regiment,
Virginia State Reserves (2nd class militia),
from August 28, 1863, to March 1, 1864.9 In
his personal life, William married Margaret
Shardale Greanor (1828-1909) in 1848 in
Richmond. Margaret?s father was William
Henry Greanor, also a leading Richmond
businessman, engaged in the tobacco
industry. In 1850, he owned $43,300 in real
estate.7 His tobacco factory and warehouse
was Castle Thunder, located on Tobacco
Row (Fig. 9), and which during the War was
converted into a prison by the Confederacy to
house civilian prisoners. William and
Margaret had seven children born between
1849 and 1862,11 three of whom are shown in
Fig. 5.
Phillip White died suddenly, after a brief
illness, on August 27, 1865, at 66 years old.
William took over the business and continued
to advertise using both his and his father?s
name, as in the advertisement from May 1867
shown in Figure 6. William moved to a new
store, ?a large and commodious store in the
new building lately erected by Mr. John
Graeme.?12 During this time, there were
some highs: William was appointed to the
Board of Commissioners of Election and was
registrar for his local precinct in Jefferson
Ward.13 But things quickly unraveled for
William. By the fall of 1868, three years after
Phillip?s death, William auctioned his stock
of shoes and other items, sold his store to J.
C. Page, Jr., another shoe merchant in
Virginia, and appealed to all with debts owed
to his father?s estate to pay those forthright.14
William took a clerk job in the office of the
City Gas Inspector7 but that too did not go
well. Complaints of malfeasance against him
and the head of his office ? that neither had
Figure 6. Phillip and William
White, prominent Richmond shoe
merchants. From Richmond
Dispatch, top, Dec. 8, 1857,
bottom, May 13, 1867.
Figure 5. William F. White?s family. Top left
to right: his father, Phillip King White (1799-
1865); mother, Hannah J. Fraser (White) (1800-
1873); and father-in-law, William Henry
Greanor (1793-1868) Bottom, three of his eight
children, left to right, Mary Matilda White
(1851-1925), John Henry White (1857-1922),
and Margaret B. ?Maggie? White (1860-1941).
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
345
not paid their own gas bills since their
appointments ? were investigated by the
Committee on Light of the Richmond City
Council, and both William and his boss were
both removed from office.15 By 1880, at age
56, he was suffering from ?rheumatism.?7
Four years later, on July 30, 1884, he died of
"Paralysis" and was buried at Shockoe Hill
Cemetery.16 The plot in which he rests was
co-purchased in 1845 by his father Phillip
and his friend Samuel Putney, to bury their
daughters who died in the lightning accident.
William was buried next to his father Phillip
and sister Mary, later joined by his mother
Hannah and wife Margaret.
The Case for William Fraser White as
Assistant Register
That William Fraser White was the ?Wm. F.
White? who signed Treasury bonds is
supported by his signature, his location in
Richmond, and his business and his political
connections with the Confederacy during the
War. Two additional facts that link William
Fraser White to the Confederate Treasury add
even more support for this conclusion. First,
Phillip and William?s residence at the time of
Phillip?s death was a house between Broad
and Grace Streets. That house was formerly
the residence of Christopher Memminger,
which Memminger sold after he resigned as
Treasury Secretary on July 1, 1864.17
Second, when William?s father died and
William took over the business, he hired as
one of his salesmen Charles S. Maurice, a
Treasury note signer.2,18 The totality of
evidence provides an overwhelming case for
William Fraser White to join Charles A. Rose
and Edmund B. W. Apperson as Assistant
Register of the Confederate Treasury.
Figure 9. Castle Thunder, tobacco warehouse
of William F. White?s father-in-law, William
Henry Greanor, later converted into a
Confederate prison.
Figure 7. Home of Phillip and William
White on 2717 East Grace St.
Figure 8. Major contract between Phillip
White and Maj. Ferguson, Quartermaster of the
CSA army.9
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
346
Acknowledgments. Many thanks to Henry
Simmons for his encouraging me to research
this topic, and to Henry Simmons, Mike
McNeil, and Bill Gunther for providing
comments on the manuscript.
References
1 Ball, Douglas B., and Simmons, Henry F.
Jr. (2015) Comprehensive Catalog and
History of Confederate Bonds. 2nd
edition. BNR Press, Port Clinton, Ohio.
2 McNeil, Michael (2003) The Signers of
Confederate Treasury Notes 1861-1865.
A Catalog of Their Signatures. Michael
McNeil, Publisher, Nederland, Colorado.
3 Thien, Raphael P. (1972) Register of the
Confederate Debt. Quarterman
Publications, Inc., Lincoln,
Massachusetts.
4 Derby, Charles. Edmund Bacon
Williamson Apperson, Assistant Register
and bond signer for the Confederate
Treasury. (Manuscript to appear in Paper
Money)
5 Ancestry.com.
6 History of Virginia. Volume IV. Virginia
Biography. The American Historical
Society. Chicago and New York. 1924.
7 U.S. Censuses, accessed through
Ancestry.com
8 https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/a/l/K
athleen-Malicki/index.html.
9 Documents in the National Archives,
accessed through fold3.com.
10 Major James Boswell Ferguson Jr. (1822-
1896) was a dry goods import merchant
before the War, and so he was perfectly
qualified for his appointment in 1861 to
the quartermaster?s department in
Richmond under Fitzhugh Lee, where he
was responsible for procurement,
especially of uniforms, garments, shoes,
and boots. It was in this capacity that
Maj. Ferguson contracted with the
Whites in March, 1862, for a large order
of brogans (shown in Figure 8), as well as
other orders with the Whites throughout
the war. But Maj. Ferguson was soon part
of the Confederacy?s effort to expand
their sourcing to Europe, and in
September 1862, he became
Quartermaster purchasing agent in
England. There he contracted with 16
different mills there for shoes and bulk
woolen cloth and blankets, and within a
year and for the remainder of the war,
many of the new Confederate uniforms
were made with English wool. In fact,
Maj. Ferguson sent uniforms to Robert E.
Lee, including the one that Lee wore at
his surrender at Appomattox. [Wilson,
Harold S. (2002). Confederate Industry:
Manufacturers and Quartermasters in
the Civil War. University Press of
Mississippi: Jackson. Jensen, Leslie D.
(1989). A survey of Confederate central
government quartermaster issue jackets,
Part 1, in The Military Collector &
Historian. Fall 1989 issue. Lee Family
Digital Archive.
https://leefamilyarchive.org, accessed
January 10, 2021.]
11 The children of William and Margaret
White were: Phillip Greanor White
(1849?1850), Mary Matilda White West
(1851?1925), William Ambrose White
(1853?1858), James Nichols White
(1855?1856), John Henry White (1857?
1922), Margaret White Scarff (1860?
1941), and May H. White Cottrell (1862?
1919). From Ancestry.com and
findagrave.com
12 Richmond Dispatch, January 12, 1867.
13 Richmond Dispatch, May 10 and May 26,
1870.
14 Richmond Dispatch, August 6, August
27, and September 17, 1868.
15 Richmond Dispatch, August 19 and
September 17, 1872.
16 Records from Shockoe Cemetery and
Ancestry.com.
17 Alexandria Gazette, November 4, 1865.
18 Richmond Dispatch, January 12, 1867.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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You Collect. We Protect.
Learn more at: www.PCGS.com/Banknote
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2021 SPMC Hall of Fame Inductees
Forrest Daniel
SPMC Honorary Life Member #15
served on the SPMC board of
governors from 1970-1976. He was
born in Sykeston, ND and was
valedictorian of his High School
class of the same town.
In 1940, he began a trade in the
printing industry which ultimately
led to his involvement in the hobby
of numismatics.
Mr. Daniel was an accomplished
researcher and writer and
concentrated his research efforts
mostly upon the subject of paper
money and other numismatic topics.
He was a frequent contributor of
articles to Paper Money and was one
of the two men who are credited with
designing the SPMC logo for which
he received an Award of Merit. He
was awarded SPMC literary awards
in 1964, 66, 67, 69, 81, 84, 92, 96, 97
and 1999. He received the SPMC?s
Award of Merit in 1983, 98 and 2000
and the Society?s highest award, the
Nathan Gold award in 1993. He was
awarded the George W. Wait
Memorial Award in 2002. He also
won a Heath Literary Award from
the American Numismatic
Association.
The SPMC owes a large debt of
gratitude to Mr. Daniel who
bequeathed a large endowment to the
society upon his death. The society
has subsequently named the Forrest
Daniel Literary Award of Excellence
in honor of Mr. Daniel.
Clifford Mishler
SPMC Life Member 142, Clifford
Mishler was born in Vandalia,
Michigan and attended
Northwestern University. Author,
publisher and researcher, his
contributions to the hobby have been
many. He received the SPMC?s
President?s award in 2002 and the
Nathan Gold award in 2019. He
began employment with Krause
Publications, on 3/3/1963 as
associate editor and then was
promoted to editor of Numismatic
News. He served as publisher of all
numismatic President of Krause. He
was a driving force at KP behind the
growth of the Pick catalog, behind
Haxby, as well as the publication of
the Std. Catalog of National Bank
Notes. He has served as Secretary of
the Higgins Museum and was on its
Board for many years. He collects
Nationals on a specialized basis
(wrong place names-Paris, Texas,
etc.).
He served as President of the
Numismatists of Michigan. He was a
founding member of TAMS and
when the SPMC split from that
group, he became a founding
member of the SPMC. The ANA
honored him with its Medal of Merit,
Farran Zerbe and Glenn Smedley
Awards. He was named
Numismatist of the Year in 2002 and
was inducted into the ANA Hall of
Fame in 2004. In 2005 he received
the Burnett Anderson Memorial
Award for Excellence in
Numismatic Writing. He twice
served on the ANA board and
elected President in 2009. Coin
World named him to their list of
Most Influential People in
Numismatics 1960-2020.
Dean Oakes
SPMC member 1322, Dean Oakes
was born in Iowa and graduated
from the University of Iowa.
His start in the hobby began in 1949
when he founded A&A Coins, Inc.
with two others becoming sole
owner in 1965. He joined John
Hickman in 1972 in a currency
business named Hickman-Oakes.
Through this business they put on
thirty-eight auctions from 1976-
1989.
A founder of the Iowa City Coin
Club, he has also served as president
of the Iowa Numismatic
Association. A collector of Iowa
obsolete notes, his collection is one
of the finest in existence. He
authored Iowa Obsolete Notes and
Scrip in 1982 which was published
by the SPMC. His credits include
authoring or co-authoring other
references, including Standard
Catalog of National Bank Notes with
John Hickman and the Standard
Guide to Small Size U.S. Paper
Money 1828 to date.
Mr. Oakes served as President of the
SPMC from 1995-1997, Vice
President (1993-1995), Treasurer
(19861993) and Governor from
1981-1999. The SPMC also awarded
him an Award of Merit in 1982 and
a Literary Award in 1994.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Plate Letter Placement Glitches
on Parker-Burke
Series of 1907
$10 Gold Certificates
Introduction and Purpose
The two of us have been studying the $10 Series of 1907 gold certificates lately, which led Doug
Murray to examine the scans of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing certified proofs lifted from the plates
that were used to print the series. Upon launching into the Parker-Burke proofs (Fr. 1171), Doug was startled
to find that the left plate letters and accompanying plate serial numbers on the number 1 proof were high in
comparison to the standard position for the letters on the earlier proofs. He had never noticed this before
and at first through that they had changed the placement coincident with the startup of the Parker-Burke
plates, which had not registered on him before.
He was quickly disabused of this notion when he got to the proof for plate 2, which had the
expected placements. He brought the plate 1 oddity to Huntoon?s attention and suddenly the search was on!
It is the purpose of this article to show you the interesting varieties that we found.
Anomalous Plate Letter Placements
The comments that follow are deduced solely from the scans of the certified proofs from the
impacted plates in the National Numismatic Collection and the photos shown on Figure 1 that Doug found
in the Heritage Auction Archives. The key reference point for judging the placement of the left plate letter
is its spacing from the word ACT in the March 4, 1907, act authorization date that appears on the upper
left-hand side of the faces of the notes. See Figure 2. The placement of the plate letter shown for plate 2 is
normal.
Parker-Burke plate 1
There is only one proof for plate 1; specifically, Treasury plate number 42627 bearing plate serial
number 1, which was certified by BEP Director Joseph E. Ralph on October 31, 1913. The plate letters on
all four subjects are uniformly high and align nicely with the act authorization date. The right image on
Figure 1 demonstrates that notes were printed from the plate with the high placement.
Telling on the proof is that someone penciled in an X under all four plate letters, a typical indicator
that the problem was discovered. However, there is no second proof demonstrating that the letters were
The Paper
Column
Doug Murray
Peter Huntoon
Figure 1. Series of 1907 $10 Parker-Burke gold certificates that reached circulation with misplaced left plate
letters and accompanying plate serial numbers. Right is plate 1 position D and left is plate 64 position C, both
with anomalously high left plate letters. Heritage Auction archives photo.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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moved to a normal position. We simply don?t know if the plate was repaired. Only time will tell if a note
turns up with the letters where they should be.
Parker-Burke plate 3
This is the jewel among the errors that we found. The affected plate was 42535/3 first certified
October 22, 1913. Very strange is that the only misplace plate letter is the one on the C note, and as
illustrated on Figure 2, it is dramatically low. Like the number 1 plate, someone put a bold penciled strike
below it and also circled it. Parts of these flags show on the blowup on Figure 2.
The giveaway for us that there was a problem with this plate was that there is a second proof for it.
That can be a sign that something was amiss. The proof was lifted to show that the plate had been repaired
and someone inserted it among the proofs, something that didn?t always happen when a correction was
made. The second proof is undated, but the big deal with it is that there are a couple of sets of printer?s
initials stamped onto the upper plate margin of the plate revealing that it had seen service before the proof
was lifted. We have not found an issued example with or without the error but we are assured that both
were printed.
Parker-Burke plate 64
The proof for this plate, 43201/64 certified February 13, 1914, is as curious as that for plate 3 in
that the plate letter on the A position note is normal, but those on positions B, C and D are high identical to
plate 1.
There are no marks on the proof indicating anyone spotted the mistake, and there is no second proof
from the plate to reveal that it had been fixed. Doug found the photo of an issued note from the C position
shown on the left-hand side of Figure 1 so we know the plate was sent to press with the mistakes. It remains
to be seen if a note appears to reveal that the mistakes were corrected.
Closing Comment
We certainly aren?t promoting these plate letter placement varieties as major varieties deserving of
separate catalog numbers or anything of that sort. Rather, they classify as unusual plate-making errors on
par with say the small-size $1 1981A and 1985 Federal Reserve notes that came out with back plate number
129 against the lower left corner of the border instead of the lower right.
The numismatic value of $10 Series of 1907 gold certificates already is sufficiently high that the
fact of a note having one of these varieties probably wouldn?t nudge the price appreciably if at all. Instead,
these are the delightful stuff that make for great cherry picking and owning one of the things simply has the
potential to bring a bit of added joy to the owner. That is, provided the owner even recognizes what he has.
The one that has the greatest appeal to us is the severely dropped C on the number 3 plate. Like all errors,
the worst the mistake, the more appealing to the collector!
Figure 2. Comparison between the placement of plate letters and accompanying plate serial number from left
to right: normal on plate 2, high on plate 1 for all positions, high on plate 64 for positions B C D, plate 3 very
low on position C only. National Numismatic Collection photos.
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Early Polymer Luminus With Color Watermarks from Domtar
by Roland Rollins
Domtar Corporation
Founded in England in 1903, the firm was originally called the Dominion Tar and Chemical Company, Limited.
The first timber plant was located in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. In 1965, the company changed its name to Domtar
Inc. In 2001 Domtar purchased four paper mills from Georgia-Pacific Corporation for US$1.65 billion. With the
acquisition, Domtar became Canada's largest paper company in terms of sales. In 2006, Domtar, Inc. agreed to merge
with the paper division of Weyerhaeuser. In2013, Domtar announced it was acquiring Xerox's US and Canadian
Paper businesses. Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated free-sheet paper in North
America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity.
Luminus
Domtar Inc. holds the patents for a product that could replace paper currency trademarked Luminus. Luminus
is a paper sandwich - a laminated product comprised of three layers of paper, film, and paper. The film in the middle
is polyester and can contain a color image and other security features. The Bank of Canada obtained the Canadian
rights to Luminus and continued to develop it as a potential substrate. Without notice Canada bird back $5 notes of
1986 with Luminus substrate were produced and tested in active circulation with a serial prefix range of GOG
0100000-0199999 (P95c2)1 before being withdrawn. This information was not widely known until the Autumn 2007
issue of the Bank of Canada Review. Due to no collector knowledge, the best-known condition Luminus note (MS60)
sold for just over $22,000 US.
The Domtar plant in Beauharnois, Qu?bec, which produced Luminus, has since been closed. It produced bank
note papers for more than 20 countries2.
Canada $5 P-95c, BNB # B358c2 front
Canada $5 P95c, BNB B358c2 reverse
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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I acquired 3 Domtar test notes from a retired Technical Director of the firm2. The most dramatic test note was
unknown to me. I have assigned the catalog number DOM-1213. Here is the note under normal lighting, then next
with back light source.
The entire middle polyester layer is colored, rendering the note with a back light with a distinctive, sharp color
watermark covering the entire surface. Notice the microprinting of ?DOMTAR? between images, replacing a security
strip. These are certainly scarce, as in four years I have recorded one other sale for three times the cost of the three
notes I purchased.
Here?s a Luminus example on a mock 100 banknote test note.
DOM-121 Normal Lighting
DOM-121 Back light
DOM-101a3 Front
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Here is the note with a back light. Notice even with a busy printing area everywhere except the front oval, the
Luminus layer displays prominently when back light is applied.
The intaglio printing on the maiden is distinct as can be seen by this close
up.
In all there are five known Domtar test notes with eight varieties. Most
of the varieties are color or watermark differences.
Another ?sandwich? substrate called Durasafe was patented by Landqart
from Switzerland in 2012. As a curious coincidence, both Landqart?s parent
company Fortress Paper and Domtar are from Canada. Durasafe has
seen wide use on Switzerland, Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and the
Bahamas banknotes. The top and bottom layers are also banknote
paper, but Landqart uses the now widely accepted polymer material as the
center layer. This makes the final product more durable than paper,
but still allows traditional security devices to be applied to the surface. It
also allows clear windows or a window the same color as the reverse paper.
So are color watermarks possible from this product? No. The clear polymer substrate is applied in liquid form, so
there is no way to add multi-colored design elements. Too bad.
References cited and sources of data.
1- Tracy Schmidt, ?Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues?, 24th Edition
2 - Richard Gratton, former Technical Director for Domtar Corp.
3 - Roland Rollins, ?North American Printers Promotional Sheets & Test Notes?, 2020
DOM-101a3 Reverse
DOM-101a3 Back Light
DOM-101a3 Close Up
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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?
?William D. Nutt:
Assistant Treasurer, USA ? Acting Treasurer, CSA?
by?Nick?Bruyer?
In February of 1861 William Nutt must have felt as if was being torn in half. For twenty-three years he had
faithfully served in the U.S. Treasury Department. Now, everything seemed to be falling apart; his greatest fears
were coming true.
Nutt was born in the District of Columbia in 1803. Married, with one daughter, he owned a farm with a dozen
slaves near Falls Church, Virginia. Each weekday he saddled his horse and commuted seven and a half miles from
his farm to his job in Washington, crossing the Long Bridge over the Potomac River along the way.
Although there is no record of any formal military service, Nutt went by the sobriquet of ?Major? and was known
to friends and acquaintances by that title.
Major Nutt?s Treasury career began in
November of 1837, when he was one of two
hires authorized under an act providing for the
issue of U.S. Treasury notes for the first time
since the War of 1812. In the wake of the Panic
of 1837 specie had disappeared, forcing the
Treasury to find an alternative means to fund the
operation of the government. Nutt managed the
Treasury note program until it was discontinued
in 1844. Not long after that he again was busy
with treasury notes, when in 1846 they were
called back into service to finance the war with
Mexico. Treasury notes continued to be issued
until 1848, after the war ended.
It was during this time that French entrepreneur Alexandre Vattemare was in
Washington to acquire books and works of art intended for the American Library of the
City of Paris. In particular, Vattemare sought fine engravings, such as those of the bank
note companies, for his American Album. He succeeded in obtaining a presentation album
of bank note proofs from the firm of Rawdon, Wright & Hatch in New York. He also
was in touch with Secretary of the Treasury Robert Walker and doubtless requested
specimens of government notes and bonds.
A request for samples of Treasury notes most likely would have been referred to
William Nutt. Indeed, within Vattemare?s collection are a group of U.S. Treasury notes
having unique ?butterfly? cut-out cancels on them, one of which bears Nutt?s signature
on the back. (1)
This $1000 note from the Vattemare collection is endorsed on the back by William D. Nutt. (Author?s collection)
Major Nutt was one of two people hired in 1837 to manage the U.S. Treasury
note program. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)
Alexandre Vattemare
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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The butterfly-canceled notes date from the period 1837-1847. They include all the denominations, special issues
such as the 1843 Demand note, and notes bearing special overprints from 1843 and 1847. All are regular notes, not
proofs, clearly taken from the Treasury?s stock. Some have handwritten serial numbers, indicating that they were
removed from a sequence ready to be filled out and issued.
One of the highlights of this group is the highest denomination of the 1837-1846 Treasury note series, the $1000.
Serial numbered 66; it is lavishly endorsed on the back ?Wm. D. Nutt?.
As the issue of Treasury notes wound up in 1848, Nutt found work as a cashier due to the implementation of the
Independent Treasury act of 1846. Under this law, government funds were moved from private banks into
government ?sub-treasury? facilities, including at Washington. Suddenly the Treasury Department had to perform
cash deposit, transfer, disbursement and bookkeeping work formerly performed on its behalf by state banks.
In the 1850s Nutt and another clerk, Anthony McClean, worked under U.S. Treasurer Samuel Casey at the sub-
treasury ?money branch? of the Treasury Department in D.C. As chief cashier with a staff of four, Nutt handled over
$1 million in deposits and payments of specie each month and kept accounts for sixty disbursing officers in various
government agencies. All Army and Navy pensions were paid through this office, as well as the salaries and expense
accounts of members of Congress. Nutt served as both a teller and bookkeeper of the Washington sub-treasury. (2)
When in 1856 James Buchanan won the Presidential election, Nutt was thrilled. Here was a Northern Democrat
who sympathized with the South and understood its interest in the ?peculiar institution? of slavery. Buchanan
underscored this when he appointed former Georgia Governor Howell Cobb to be his Secretary of the Treasury.
Never did Major Nutt feel more welcome and comfortable in his Treasury job than under Howell Cobb. Cobb
advocated for the extension of slavery into the U.S. territories. In 1856 he published a religious tract on slavery in
which he wrote, ?We assert, and we shall prove, that the system of slavery in the United States, in every feature and
in every particular of every feature, is essentially the same as the system authorized by the Bible?. He went on to
say, ?There is nothing more disgusting than abolitionism--- nothing, we consider, more wicked and mischievous?.(3)
Not long after the Buchanan administration took office the Panic of 1857 struck. Soon the government ran short
of funds and, once again, turned to Treasury notes to shore up its finances. Nutt?s experience with the issuance,
redemption and accounting for Treasury notes immediately became useful. Congress continued to authorize Treasury
notes for the duration of Buchanan?s time in office.
In February 1860 Buchanan appointed William C. Price, a lawyer nationally known for his advocacy of slavery,
as Treasurer of the U.S. Nutt worked directly under him, having been promoted to Assistant Treasurer of the
Washington D. C. Sub-treasury. (4)
In the fall of 1860 the tide of national politics turned decisively against Major Nutt and his fellow Southern
Democrats. The Democrat party, severely divided between anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions, split its votes in the
Presidential election. The split allowed the candidate of the young Republican party, Abraham Lincoln, to win the
Presidency with less than 40% of the national votes.
A deep gloom fell upon the Treasury Department. Secretary Cobb fumed over the prospect of the government
being filled with ?black Republicans? and abolitionists. On December 8 he resigned from his post and returned to
Georgia to lead a secession congress. Buchanan replaced him with a southern sympathizer, Philip Thomas, but a
consortium of New York bankers forced Buchanan to quickly replace him with a solid Union man. On January 15,
1861 John Dix, a Union Democrat and ?free soil? advocate, became Secretary of the Treasury.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Howell Cobb appears on this $20 Proof from Georgia. (Courtesy Heritage Auctions)
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Meanwhile, the credit of the United States rapidly deteriorated as states peeled away from the Union. Fear
gripped the credit markets, making it increasingly difficult for the Treasury to finance the day-to-day expenses of the
government.
Nutt could see the writing on the wall. Several of his friends at the Treasury had quit or were planning to. He
worried that the man Lincoln would appoint to be the next Secretary of the Treasury would be a Republican
abolitionist, putting his job at risk.
Fortunately, Nutt had something to fall back on. During the past decade his northern
Virginia farm had flourished. He doubled the number of slaves tending his crops. He also
had a black servant in his household. (5)
In February 1861 rumors swirled throughout Washington that President elect Lincoln
would pick Salmon P. Chase to be his Secretary of the Treasury. There was not another
man in the entire country better known as a sworn enemy of slavery than Chase.
Nutt was furious. Not only did Chase have no background in finance, but surely he
would purge pro-slavery employees from the department.
Nutt resigned the day after Chase became the Secretary of the Treasury.
On the morning of February 25, Nutt walked into the Treasury and handed a letter to
Secretary Dix. (6)
Treasury of the United States February 25, 1861
Dear Sir: By invitation, I entered the Treasurer?s Office in 1837; have since occupied
confidential relation to it; have conducted every issue of Treasury notes subsequently made; put into
operation here the Independent Treasury Acts of 1840 and 1846, and have been at the head of that
branch until now.
The Republican party having prevailed, and its principles, as I understand them, from their
publication at Chicago, and from the previously published speeches of Mr. Lincoln, being as I think,
in vital conflict with the constitutional rights of the people of my State, Virginia, I cannot subscribe
to them. To seemingly acquiesce by retaining place as long as I might, would, I think, be a departure
from a cherished rule of my life, viz: to endeavor so to act, as to prove to those around me that
matters of principle have no pecuniary equivalents.
Therefore, I respectfully tender my resignation to take effect on 4th proximo, or as soon as
the matters of trust confided to me can be examined, and I be safely and honorably relieved.
I should be wanting in candor, not to admit that it will be with feelings of discomfort, after
having been so agreeably associated for twenty-three and a half years in the service, I shall leave it
to seek business in other fields.
I am, sir, very respectfully, your ob?t serv?t,
Wm. D. Nutt?
Nutt set his resignation to be the day after Salmon P. Chase took office. However, he was asked to stay on for
a few weeks to transition his replacement. That done, Major Nutt returned to his farm to contemplate his future.
On April 12 the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter, unleashing war between North and South. Five days later
Virginia joined seven other States in seceding from
the Union. Richmond became the capitol of the
Confederacy.
On May 23 and 24 Union forces under
Brigadier General J.K.F Mansfield crossed the
Potomac river from Washington. On the first night
eight thousand infantry, two regular cavalry
companies and two sections of artillery entered
Virginia, followed the next day by over 13,000
more troops. They built fortifications and occupied
the area, including the city of Alexandria, to
protect Washington against attack. Picket lines
were set up about three miles from Nutt?s farm.
Brig. General J. K. Mansfield, depicted on this 1880 $500 Legal Tender
note, sent over 21,000 troops across the Potomac to set up defenses in and
around Alexandria, Virginia. (Courtesy Stacks-Bowers)
Salmon P. Chase
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Nutt heartily endorsed Virginia?s secession. He and a friend, a former Treasury Dept. messenger named George
C. Jackson, patrolled the area on horseback to surveil the Union troops. On the evening of June 8 they neared a picket
line near Fort Corcoran when suddenly they were surprised by Yankee infantrymen. They were taken prisoner and
brought to Alexandria?s Marshall House Inn. (7)
The Marshall House became infamous two weeks earlier, when Union Colonel Elmer Ellsworth was shot and
killed by its proprietor, James W. Jackson, for cutting down a Confederate flag flying from its rooftop. The flag was
visible from as far away as Washington. Jackson swore the flag would be taken down only ?over his dead body?.
Ellsworth became the first Union officer killed on duty during the war. Jackson was shot and stabbed to death by
another Union soldier, who subsequently received the Medal of Honor.
Upon interrogation, Nutt and his comrade apparently convinced the Yanks that they were merely innocent
civilians caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and released.
On August 1 Nutt?s farm was under Confederate control, but by the end of the month the Union Army extended
its lines his doorstep. On August 26 members of Co. A of the 25th New York Volunteer Infantry entered his farm.
Nutt treated them cordially and welcomed two of them into his home. Unbeknownst to them, while Nutt occupied
their time with friendly small talk, he sent for Confederate soldiers at nearby Falls Church. When Rebel cavalry
arrived at his farm a skirmish ensued, during which one of Nutt?s Yankee ?guests?, Private David Smith, was killed.
The Confederates returned to Falls Church, bringing Nutt with them. Subsequently members of the 8th New
York Volunteers under General Louis Blenker seized the farm and found two salt-cured hams, ready to eat. But they
soon discovered that Nutt had ?salted? the hams with arsenic. Outraged at Nutt?s treachery, they ransacked his home,
took his livestock, torched his house and outbuildings and burned his crops in the fields. (8)
A soldier from the 21st New York Infantry described the scene afterwards: "the remains of a fine piano and other
heavy furniture litter the grounds; the garden and outbuildings are sacked and destroyed, and the stock appropriated
by the ravagers."
Nutt fled west to his daughter?s home in Loudoun County, Virginia. Everything he had worked for over the last
forty years?his career and his farm?were gone. Consumed with anger and despair, a kernel of an idea began to
sprout in his mind. In time it became an obsession that would hold him in its grip for the rest of the war.
Historical records document that In October 1861 Nutt did some business at the railroad junction known as
Manassas, adjacent to Loudoun County. On October 8 he signed a military forage voucher for 67,000 pounds of hay.
Although he had no title, it suggests he was acting as a subsistence agent for the Confederate army. Five weeks
earlier, Confederate forces under General ?Stonewall? Jackson had whipped Union troops there in a humiliating
defeat that became known as the Battle of Bull Run. (9)
In February 1862 Nutt sent a letter to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In it he declared his readiness to
serve in the military and requested a commission as a major.(10)
Soon thereafter he rode to Richmond to press his request. He was disappointed to hear that it had been referred
to the Confederate Treasury Department, headed by Secretary Christopher G. Memminger. There he was told that
while no army opportunity was presently available to the 59-year-old former clerk, he could join the treasury
immediately at $1,200 a year.
Major Nutt and George Jackson were interrogated at
the Marshall House in Alexandria, shown here in 1861.
(Courtesy Wikipedia.com)
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Although deeply disappointed, Nutt reluctantly accepted the Confederate Treasury job. Still he held fast to his
dream that one day he would get his commission and lead a military force to seek retribution against his Yankee
enemies.
Confederate treasury officials knew they had acquired a gem. Nutt found the department functioning beneath
his standards and threw himself into strengthening it. By 1863 Nutt was Chief Clerk of the Treasury, second only to
Treasurer Edward C. Elmore. Whenever Elmore was away from his office or otherwise disposed, Nutt served as
Acting Treasurer.
Nutt was to suffer an ironic indignity at the hands of the United States. On May 30, 1863 the Union Army took
over Nutt?s property, pitched tents and turned it into one of five farms for escaped slaves, then known as
?contrabands?. It was named Camp Rucker. Crops raised by the contrabands fed themselves as well as Union
soldiers. By August the ?Superintendent of Freedmen? reported that 105 contrabands resided on the farm.
As Union forces grew closer to Richmond, the 3rd Virginia Infantry, Local Defense Troops (also known as the
?Departmental Battalion?), was organized. Its recruits consisted of various Confederate government departments,
including the Treasury. Nutt was listed as a private in Company F on a muster roll dated June 20, 1863.
On January 27, 1864 Nutt again pressed his case for a military commission in a letter to Secretary Memminger.
?All this time I have thought my request for an appointment not unreasonable, and that I was as fairly entitled to it as
any man was... I have not made the acquaintance of the President nor do I know that he remembers anything about
me, perhaps he would think a renewal of the suggestion from me, as too unimportant for consideration... I venture to
C. G. Memminger, depicted here on an 1861
CSA note, described Nutt as ?essential to the
proper conduct of the affairs of the Treasury?.
(Courtesy Heritage Auctions)?
1863 map shows the ?Maj Nutt? farm north-
east of Falls Church and just north of Union
Ft. Buffalo.
(Courtesy Library of Congress)
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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submit these views to you, before I take any action upon them, supposing you would be able to judge whether an
application for commission as Major would be favorably received by the President or not.?
Memminger believed it would be a great loss to the Treasury if Nutt left. He waited until July 19 to forward
Nutt?s letter to President Davis, along with his comment that ?The writer of this note is one of the most intelligent,
useful and faithful officers in the Treasury Dept--- he is essential to the proper conduct of the affairs of the Treasury
proper...? It seems that Nutt, by then 61, would never receive his long-sought military commission.
During 1864 the war turned violently against the Confederacy. In late spring the government repudiated a third
of its money supply. By June the credit of the Treasury collapsed. With the Union Navy effectively blockading
Southern ports, many goods became rare and costly. Sending money to troops in the field became difficult and
dangerous as broad swaths of territory were occupied by Union forces.
The air filled with recriminations between members of the Confederate Congress and the Treasury. On June 15
Secretary Memminger submitted his notice of resignation to Congress before it could fire him. He returned to his
home to sit out the rest of the war.
On July 2 Treasurer Elmore resigned. Apparently Nutt took charge as Acting Treasurer during the three months
until a replacement, John N. Hendren, was appointed on October 2.
G. A. Trenholm became Confederate Treasury Secretary on July 20, the day after Memminger had sent to
President Davis his recommendation concerning Nutt?s request. Memminger doubtless realized that his successor
would need all the help he could get at the Treasury.
As 1864 came to a close hyper-inflation set in, with the government issuing $50 million, and later $100 million,
a month in paper money.
By March of 1865 the Confederate dollar was valued at 70 to 1 dollar in gold. The Treasury was utterly bankrupt,
reduced to soliciting donations of silverware, trinkets, jewelry or anything that could be melted down for silver or
gold. The final issue of Confederate currency in May bottomed out at $1,200 to $1 in gold.
Depository receipt signed by Wm D. Nutt as
Chief Clerk of the Confederate Treasury on
April 11, 1864 (Courtesy Fold3.com)?
Confederate war warrant signed by Nutt as
Acting Treasurer September 14, 1864.
(Courtesy aocurrency.com)
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With no farm to return to, Nutt remained at his post until General Grant laid siege to Richmond and it was
evacuated on April 2. The government fled to temporary quarters in Danville, Virginia. Fires set to destroy
Confederate supplies grew out of control, forcing the mayor of Richmond to invite Union forces in to put out the
flames. On April 4 President Lincoln visited the city and the Confederate White House. Everywhere he was met
with the roar of cheers from freed slaves lining his path.
On June 17, 1865 Nutt took the oath of allegiance to the United States at the Provost Marshal?s office in
Richmond. On September 4 he received a full pardon from President Andrew Johnson.
Major Nutt returned to Alexandria to find that the U.S. District Court had entered a decree of condemnation
against his farm, allowing it to be sold. In October the farm was sold for $2,400 and transferred to its new owners,
consisting of Judge Underwood, Governor Peirpoint and James Madison Downey, an anti-secession Virginian. (11)
Downey eventually became sole owner of the farm. For the next six years Nutt battled in court to regain it. An
1867 editorial in the Washington Chronicle opined that ?the Government of the United States would fail in its
obligations to the true men if it allowed itself to be influenced by the example of restoring to red-handed traitors?
property that had been fairly purchased and occupied by loyal citizens?. It then reprinted a letter from Downey to
Major Nutt. Downey ranted, ?You have ... but one right common with all traitors, and that is, to expiate at the end
of a halter the crime you ... committed when you conspired knowingly and willingly to sap the foundation of our
Government and consign it and its sacred trusts to the bottom of a chaotic grave.? (12)
Undaunted, Nutt fought his way through appeals all the way to the United States Supreme Court. On February
1, 1871 he won his tax sale case against Downey and the federal government, recovering his property.
Major William D. Nutt passed away in Alexandria on October 20, 1889 at the age of 86. From 1837 to 1861 he
managed multiple issues of Treasury notes as well as the Sub-Treasury in Washington, a record of success he could
be justly proud of. But his reliance upon the vile institution of slavery to operate his farm put him on the wrong side
of history. Perhaps he could have preserved both his career and his farm had he forsaken slavery? While he dreamed
of revenge for his losses, he was lucky to have been cloistered in the Confederate Treasury in Richmond as the war
raged and ultimately overtook him.
A few fragments remain to attest to his service in both treasuries, including the unique $1000 Treasury note he
endorsed, which was intended to reside in a French museum. It is remarkable that, although it surfaced at a Christies-
Robson Lowe auction almost 40 years ago and has been offered in multiple auctions since, until now no one took the
time to identify the prominent signature on its back.
Notes
(1) Bowers, Q. David, Alexandre Vattemare and the Numismatic Scene, Stack?s Bowers Galleries, 2018, pp. 43-55.
(2) ?The Money Branch of the United States Treasury?, The Daily Memphis Whig, Memphis, TN 30 Apr 1855, p.5
(3) Cobb, Howell, A Scriptural Examination of the Institution of Slavery in the United States, With Its Objects and
Purposes, self-published, Georgia, 1856
(5) United States Census, William D. Nutt, 1860.
(6) The Daily Exchange, Baltimore, MD 2 Apr 1861, p. 1
(7) National Republican, Washington, D.C. 10 Jun 1861, p. 3
(8) Evening Star, Washington, D.C. 1 Oct 1861, p. 2. Details also were recounted in a letter from Pvt. Robert A.
Hubbel, Co. K, 14th New York State Vols, written from Arlington Heights, VA on Oct. 3, 1861. The name of the
Union soldier killed on Nutt?s farm is noted in the Civil War roster of the 25th New York Infantry.
(9) McNeil, Michael, Confederate Quartermasters, Commissaries, and Agents, Pub. Pierre Fricke, Sudbury MA,
2016
(10) Fold3.com
(11) Donald W. Gunter,"James Madison Downey (1809?1884)," Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Library of
Virginia (1998? ), published 2016
(12) ?CONFISCATION?, The Salem Observer, Salem, NC 29 Mar 1867, p. 2
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Courtesy of James Hodgson
$10 SC Series 1934-A *01492085A ? Face Plate 209
$10 SC Series 1934-A face plates 207-210 have the distinction of being on the press when the only $10 SC Series
1934-B plate was used. A press holds four plates, so three Series 1934-A plates were also on the same press. Plates
207-210 were previously unused during past Series 1934-A production runs.
What makes this note interesting is it was printed during the time when Series 1934-B notes were the prevalent
series being printed for other classes of currency. This note is printed on a brighter whiter paper typical of Series 1934-
B notes instead of the greyish paper used to print Series 1934-A notes during World War II. The white paper really
accentuates the blue overprint on this note.
$100 FRN Series 1934-A A00029003*
Plate #5 was the only $100 Series 1934-A face plate used to print 1934-A Boston notes.
This note is one of 3000 $100 1934-A star notes printed from A00026601* to A00038600*. Bureau of Engraving
and Printing records indicate the last star serial number for $100 Series 1934 to 1934-D Boston Federal Reserve Bank
was A00038600*. Using plate data from observed notes, it was determined the last run was 12,000 notes, which includes
all reported $100 Series 1934-A star notes.
A printing press holds four plates, and since only one Boston $100 Series 1934-A plate was used, the number of
1934-A notes would be one-quarter of the 12,000 printed, or 3000 notes. Series 1934 plates 2, 3, and 4 were the other
three plates on the press and account for the remaining 9000 notes printed in the run.
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POP ART ICON ROBERT DOWD: CURRENCY AS ART
By Rick Melamed
We paper money enthusiasts like to think government issued currency can also be categorized as works of art.
While the images contained on the actual notes often have a compelling artistic component, most people would just
consider them money. But in the hand of an
accomplished artist, the theme is reversed:
money changes from a financial instrument to a
captivating work of art. Robert Dowd (1936-
1996) a renowned pop artist made a career by
turning regular everyday items into something
memorable. Just as his contemporary Andy
Warhol did with Campbell soup cans and Brillo
boxes, Dowd did the same for U.S. currency.
Robert was a shy, thoughtful gentleman. He was
a voracious reader, an intellectual who had a
brilliant career exploring the complex relationship between people and money. On the surface, money is just a
piece of paper that has no intrinsic value like silver and gold coins. Currency?s value is based in our trust of the
government. Taking that relationship a big leap beyond, Dowd extends our trust onto the canvas. If we assign
value based on faith (of a piece of paper money), does that faith extend to a painting of currency? What on the
surface appears to be just a simple work of art, is actually something much deeper. Dowd?s art is a real paradox
open to many interpretations. Some are whimsical, some are profound ? they?re mostly colorful?and all are
wonderful.
Robert Dowd (on the right) was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1936. After his discharge from the U.S.
Marines in 1957 he entered the Society of Arts and Crafts/Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan where
he studied painting. In 1958-59 he began drawing common objects, including ?STOP? signs. In 1960, he moved to
San Francisco and began painting images of postage stamps. In 1961, Dowd
moved to Los Angeles and began work on his
extensive series of currency paintings. By 1962 he
gained fame with his pictures of money. Robert
painted a full range of currency: large sized, small
sized and fractional. His artwork was embraced by
the art community and made its way into galleries and
museums. In 1962, Dowd married fellow artist Mara
Devereux. It was a strong marriage and both their
careers prospered. She was with Dowd until he died
in 1996. Devereux, who is still alive at 97, said in 2013: "Robert was the one who
told me, made me realize, I am a free spirit. He wanted me to express that. I had
never been told that before him. And he was a genius."
In the 1960?s the pop artists grew in popularity and became the defining art
movement of the period. Along with Dowd?s contemporaries (e.g. Roy
Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, Phillip Hefferton, Edward Ruscha, Wayne
Thiebaud), the common and colorful images of everyday things became
mainstream and ?Pop Art? usurped abstract expressionism as the most popular art
form in the public?s eye. Gone were formless drip paintings of Jackson Pollack
replaced by paintings of items familiar and instantly recognizable. A painting by
Andy Warhol of (200) one-dollar bills sold for $43.8 million a few years ago. High
art indeed!
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The $10 ?BUX? painting on the first page and the $5 ?CASH?
painting shown on the left are examples of Dowd?s grasp of one of
the most basic parts of everyday life. Money has a universal reach,
but beyond the financial institutions and banks that are driven by the
abstract meaning of money, Dowd has redefined it to the street
level. For the common folks, it is not about the concept; it is about
the actual, physical money - cold hard cash. The term ?CASH? is as
basic as it comes. But then again, Robert simplifies the concept
even further by shortening the 5-letter word ?BUCKS? to 3 letters:
?BUX?.
SHREDDED ART SERIES
By reducing money into fragments Dowd was mimicking the
government?s practice of shredding old worn money when it was
taken out of circulation. While the shredded money no longer has
any purchasing power, Dowd still viewed it worthy of artistic
interpretation. Shown below is a reconstructed $5, $10 and $50 bill.
The out of sequence positioning of the note strips could be viewed
as a metaphor of life. After all, isn?t life a series of random events?
Asked why he loved to paint money as a cultural image, Dowd
was quoted:
?Money is a powerful blend of American literature, document and symbol. Forget that it illustrates a complete
monetary system of unimaginable proportions or that it represents destinies of nations and men. What we are
dealing with here is a marvelous form of American literature of epic proportions in the proud tradition of P.T.
Barnum and tabloid journalism.?
DOWD MASTERPIECE: LINCOLN $5 TOMB
This somber painting of Abraham Lincoln was purposely composed
as a tombstone. Entitled Lincoln $5 Tomb ? it portrays Lincoln as a
victim. Dowd snuffed out the former president?s eyes and mouth
implying his life was suddenly taken from us. The aura of death is
further reinforced by the black background. The misspelling United
States to ?NIED STAT OF A? and Five Dollars as ?FIVF DOLAP?
could possibly point to confusion of life in the United States at the time
of Lincoln?s assassination. The depiction is poignant and heartfelt and
considered one of Dowd?s masterpieces.
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Lincoln was a favorite subject of Dowd; he painted his portrait often. Robert frequently omitted letters and
numbers. The painting on the left drops the final ?E? in STATES. The image on the right is missing ?T? in
UNITED, the ?E? in FIVE, the ?E? in FEDERAL, one numeral in the serial number, etc.
DISASTER AT THE TREASURY PAINTINGS
The pair of ?Disaster at the Treasury? paintings is another example of Robert?s wit. The grand neoclassical
Treasury building exudes a powerful authority. But in the hands of Dowd, he deconstructs that authority as the
building is laid siege by a fire and a tornado. It does not seem like a coincidence that the ?IN GOD WE TRUST?
motto is partially obliterated by the twin disasters. The handwritten description at the bottom of each painting
reflects his liberal viewpoint. With the calamities at the Treasury building, the power temporarily moves from the
government to the common people. A dream scenario for the anarchists of the late 1960?s is realized.
The caption on the bottom of ?Fire at U.S.
Treasury (1968)?: The great U.S. Treasury fire:
12:42 p.m. fire broke out on the top floor of the
Treasury Building, sending clouds of black
smoke into the Washington sky. A major threat
to our nation?s money supply was averted when
hundreds of on-lookers dashed into the building,
jammed their pockets full of new bills and ran
for safety. Many are still running.?
The caption under ?Tornado at U.S. Treasury (1968)?: A deadly tornado ripped through the U.S. Treasury Building
yesterday destroying the structure. Officials
said the twister sucked up one hundred million
dollars and it?s believed the money is swirling
around in the ?eye? of the tornado. Towns in
the storm?s path report people are standing in
open fields with bushel baskets?
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THE SECRET SERVICE AND FBI TAKE AIM AT DOWD AS A COUNTERFEITER
Creating currency paintings came at a steep cost to Dowd. The height of Robert?s popularity in the 1960?s
came at a time of social unrest. The FBI and the Secret Service viewed the growing anti-establishment movement
with suspicion sparking claims that by painting pictures of money, it implicated Dowd as a counterfeiter. Dowd
was caught in the crosshairs as he was investigated and persecuted by the government agencies. What was ignored
was the art community?s assertion that Dowd?s right of freedom of expression was being suppressed. It seems
laughable by today?s sensibilities that paintings of currency could be considered counterfeit. But things were
different 60 years ago and unfortunately for Dowd his fascination with painting currency caught the attention of the
Secret Service who was working with FBI on the investigation. Dowd explains that in 1963, two agents from the
Secret Service knocked on the door of his studio. They took him to the Federal building in downtown LA, where
they sternly read to him a litany of counterfeiting laws that he was breaking. From Dowd: "They were attempting to
intimidate me with all these threats. It was really a matter of them attempting to tell me that if I continued to paint
money, that I would be arrested for counterfeiting; that I was breaking the law. They did have some work of mine
that they had confiscated as contraband. They told me they were going to museums and collectors and confiscate
all the paintings out of the collections. My situation as a young artist, struggling at that point, was that I certainly
didn't need any major problems added onto my life at the moment, in terms of survival and trying to do my work".
During the period he was investigated, Robert found that many of his paintings he had in storage were ripped to
shreds, missing and/or destroyed. The paintings were a year?s work and were intended for a gallery showing.
Dowd suspected the FBI was involved but nothing ever came of it. Dowd stopped painting currency and switched
to postage stamps (though he did continue to paint currency privately).
DOWD?S HOMAGE TO GREAT ARTISTS
Dowd?s veneration for Vincent Van Gogh is
wonderfully executed on this pair of $1 bill
paintings. Stylistically Dowd copies the style
of the great post-impressionist master with
sublime nuance. The first image in the upper
left is the actual Van Gogh self-portrait. The
others are $1 FRN?s with Van Gogh?s self-
portrait inserted in George Washington?s usual
spot.
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The admiration of the great masters
continues. In this painting, Dowd appropriates
Picasso?s iconic Portrait of a Woman with a Hat
for the note?s portrait. Considered one of
Picasso?s last masterpieces ? it was created in
1962, when he was 81 making it
contemporaneous to the $1 Picasso bill painting.
In keeping with the vibrant theme, Dowd
employs bright, cheery colors in the note?s
background.
The great post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin (a contemporary and friend of Van Gogh) is beautifully
executed by Dowd in yet another $1 bill painting. On the right, Self-Portrait with a Yellow Christ, an 1890 Gauguin
materpeice, is front and center in this Dowd depiction. Note the use of orange in the seal and serial numbers. It is a
central color theme of Gauguin?s work that
Dowd used in his rendering.
In the painting on the left, Robert pays
his respect and reverence to pop art icon
Roy Lichtenstein. Even for those who are
not knowledgeable about modern art should
be familiar with Roy Lichtenstein?s style.
His work defined the premise of pop art
through parody. Inspired by the comic strip,
Lichtenstein produced precise compositions
in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Lichtenstein
worked in primary colors and often
included Ben-Day dots, all the same size
and used mostly as a cheap way of
rendering color in comic books. The
painting shown on the right, Reverie, is classic Lichtenstein which Dowd employs on his Lincoln $5 bill. The
caption: ?MAYBE IF THINGS WORKED OUT...I?D BE ON A BIGGER BILL!? is Dowd using Lichtenstein?s often
sullen introspection of comic book characters in his depiction of Lincoln.
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Dowd has a little fun and gives himself an ego boost with this
disarming self-portrait. Looking quite dapper in a vintage bowler
hat, crisp oxford shirt and neatly trimmed mustache, Robert is the
picture of serenity. Note his name under the portrait. As he has
done frequently in the past, Dowd executed this painting as part of
his ?folded money series?.
Robert inserted a
portrait of Albert
Einstein on this ?folded
series? painting of a $50
Federal Reserve note. It
is cleverly titled E=MC 50?. America?s greatest general, U.S. Grant, has
been replaced by history?s greatest physicist. Some could argue that
Einstein turned science into art. Note the E=MC2 equation (Theory of
Relativity) below the portrait.
DOWD ON FRACTIONAL CURRENCY
Much of Dowd?s currency painting was just a straight artistic interpretation. Shown are 4 different fractional
notes. The first is a 3? 3rd issue fractional. The background behind Washington is decidedly dark; hence, it is an Fr.
1227 - dark portrait note. The rendering is quite accurate with some green shading. The 4th issue 10? Liberty
fractional is faithfully reproduced albeit in a softer manner. With the 5th issue 25? (Walker) and 50? (Crawford)
Fractional, Dowd took more artistic liberties. The portrait and seal have the feeling of a charcoal drawing
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OTHER DOWD CURRENCY PAINTIGS
First row: The $10 Hamilton note is another example of Dowd omitting numbers and letters. The $50 FRN of
Grant in another in his ?folded currency note? series. On the $20 FRN, Jackson?s portrait opens to reveal a bank
with money pouring out?implying an endless amount of cash available at the bank. 2nd row: Undated $100 FRN
and 1900 $10,000 gold note. 3rd row: 1840 $1,000 Bank of the U.S. note; 1934 series $100,000 gold certificate
with the portrait of Woodrow Wilson. 4th row: Impressionistic rendering of a $1 FRN back apltly entitled Half
Dollar; 1990?s era colorful $100 FRN ? note the ubiquitous bar code in the upper left corner.
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In this final painting, Dowd produced a softer rendering of the iconic 1896 $1 Educational Note. The top is
Dowd?s work entitled $1 Silver Dollar. The bottom is the actual U.S. issued note. Dowd subtly omits many
elements such as the names of famous Americans within the reef of laurel leaves, the stars on History?s sash, the
text on the Constitution tablet, the titles under Tillman/Morgan?s names, or any of the printing above/below ?ONE
SILVER DOLLAR.? Also
notice how UNITED STATES
of AMERICA? morphs into
UNITED STAES AMERICA.?
You can sense Dowd pushing
the limits, challenging us to
notice what is missing.
If pop art is defined as
taking ordinary popular culture
and imbuing it with a deeper
meaning, then Dowd has
certainly succeeded. He
understood the the abstract
value placed on a piece of paper
(currency) is complex. The
messages contained in his
paintings are thoughtful and
worthy of deeper
contemplation. His paintings
of money stand the test of time
and while he was not as famous
as Warhol or Lichtenstein, his
contribution to the artistic
community are nonetheless
important and have a lot to say
about the world around us.
There is no arguing that Robert
Dowd was a pop art icon.
Unfortunately he died of advanced kidney disease at the young age of 60. Being an independent artist, he never
had health insurance and could not afford a kidney transplant or the dialysis treatments that could have prolonged
his life. A sad ending for a artisically productive life. He passed away in Los Angeles in 1996.
Much thanks must be extended to the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art and Pepperdine University for
their seminal work on Robert Dowd ? Pop Art Money (2009). Also to the late Michael Zakian, author of the Dowd
Catalogue. Finally to my son David who aided me on the editing of this article.
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The Numismatic Side of the Siege of Mafeking
by Steve Feller
During 1899 the Boers (fierce people of European descent in South Africa) and the British forces in the region
prepared for war for a second round. On October 13, 1899 the town of Mafeking in the Transvaal Republic was
besieged by the Boer forces. This siege lasted a long 217 days. About 2000 British troops under the command of
Colonel Baden-Powell (known by his troops as BP) defended the town until it was, at last, relieved. This war has
been called the last of the gentleman?s war but it was far from that rather it was a hard and brutal affair. Significantly,
the siege of Mafeking has a rich numismatic history.
By January 1900 coin was scarce and siege paper currency started to be issued in Mafeking. It was initially
printed by Townshend and son in Mafeking and the emissions were of three distinct types: The lowest set of
denominations of one-, two-, and three-shillings, the ten-shilling note, and the one-pound (or twenty-shillings) note.
The one, two, and three shilling notes were issued January and February 1900 while the ten-shilling and one- pound
notes were issued in March, 1900. One- and two-shilling notes were printed but not used in March.
Full details are given in John Ineson? s marvelous book, Paper Currency of the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902 and
are briefly summarized here:
The number of notes issued were:
One-, two-, and three-shilling notes: 13,493
Ten-shilling notes: 7,000
One-pound notes: 683
Total number of notes printed: 21,176
Map of the Boer War in
South Africa. Note the site of
the Siege of Mafeking in the
northeast part of the region.
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The notes are scare but obtainable from reputable dealers such as Colin Narbeth. Many varieties exist as well.
The notes sell today from hundreds to thousands of dollars each.
One-shilling Mafeking Siege note, January 1900. Two-shilling Mafeking Siege note, February 1900 (Colin Narbeth).
Three-shillings Mafeking Siege note,
January 1900
Ten-shilling Mafeking Siege note, March 1900.
Note printer name at bottom.
Error 10-shilling note. Note Commaning not Commanding
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However, the one-pound note, the most decorous and desirable of the notes, went through a rather laborious and
curious process of manufacture. The notes are like miniature blue prints. The process was described by one of the
signers of the notes, Captain Herbert Greener. His diary has been published and provides a fabulous description of
the printing of the notes. He is quoted in Inside Mafeking ?A Monument to British Pluck? The Diary of Herbert
Greener:
?In February (1900) the gold began to run short so we discussed the issue of a ?1 note. I suggested something
more elaborate than the small notes and BP (Baden-Powell) drew a design on wood which was cut out by G. Riesle,
who had some experience in the making of in the making of wood blocks. It
depicted two men at either side, one firing a machine gun and the other a 7
pounder, with a shell exploding between them, and above, in the smoke of the
explosion, were the words ?One Pound?.?
?BP was not satisfied with the result so drew another design, this time on
paper. It was a picture, more suitable for an engraving than a wood block that
Riesle could produce. In the centre was the ?Wolf? (the mortar made by the railway
workmen); beside it stood a trooper of the Protectorate Regiment clasping his rifle
with bayonet fixed; below him, as though under his protection, knelt a woman with
a child in her arms; on the right a troop of the BBP shooting over the top of his
rocky position at Cannon Kopje; on the left one of the Town Guard, with rifle in
hand behind his sandbag defences. Above all on a pole at the back, floated the
Union Jack with the two words ?Mafeking Besieged?, one on either side of it and
in the background, behind the figures under the flag, in feint letters, was ?ONE
POUND?. It really was a work of art and it seemed a pity not to make use of such
a typical design, but Whales (the printer and editor at the newspaper ?The
Mafeking Mail?) had no apparatus for reproducing it as a print and we were
giving it up and falling back on the wood block when E.J. Ross, a partner of Alfred
the auctioneer, and who was an amateur photographer suggested reproducing it
by photography.?
The note producers settled on a chemical process to make the notes. Greener describes the process in his diary:
?Ross photographed the picture which was drawn in black and white, and printed a copy. It was a great success
as a photograph but was not suitable for the purpose for which it was required. He suggested it would look well on
what is known as a ?blue print?, for which the surface of a suitable paper could easily be prepared by sensitising it
with a solution of ferro-cyanide of potassium.?
However, there wasn?t that chemical in Mafeking. A post runner was sent to the North to secure the compound
but the wrong chemical was sent! A second try was dispatched but it was captured. A third try was successful. After
getting the process to work it took 15-20 minutes to produce a note after exposing it to the strong sunlight of Southern
Africa.
Robert Baden-Powell, 1896, just before
the Siege of Mafeking (National Portrait
Gallery, UK).
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The finished ?blue print note? was quite similar to the original drawing. Below is the uniface note in its full glory.
The historic ?1 note of the siege of Mafeking. Close-up detail of the historic ?1 note of the siege of Mafeking.
The actual ?Wolf? was homemade in Mafeking as were the
cannonballs (National Army Museum Study collection,). The Wolf today. It is a 4.5 inch howitzer that resides at the Firepower Museum in London.
The Bechualand Protectorate
one penny embossed stamp on
the ?1 note
Some of the notes had printing difficulties due to the awkward
process used. Blotches occurred near the end of the run of 683.
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683 notes of the ?1 note were printed; few were redeemed. By the end of December 1907 Ineson says just 44
were redeemed and by the end of the redemption period (15 September 1910) a total of 59 one-pound notes were
redeemed. This left 683-59 = 624 souvenirs for collectors to have a chance at.
Other Items:
Other numismatic related items are known from this siege or from one of the other simultaneous sieges.
Representative ones from Mafeking are reviewed here.
1. The Women?s Laager (Camp) Pass.
The women?s camp was established within the siege area but away from the fighting. A pass was
required to leave the camp and to return to it.
Ross prints the ?1 note in Mafeking
(Australian War Memorial)
The Standard Bank of Mafeking during the siege. (Ineson,
Paper Currency of the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902)
The Women?s Laager Camp Pass
An image of the Woman?s camp during the siege of Mafeking.
This picture was taken by the rector of Mafeking, Rev. W.H. Weekes?
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2. Food coupons--Communal food fed the troops as well as the native population.
Major Godley in Mafeking. He later became a general and
commanded New Zealand forces in WWI.
3. Stamps
The Mafeking Post Office continued throughout the siege. Runners were used to get the mail past the Boers and,
internally, cadets (precursors to the Boy Scouts) on bicycles delivered the mail. At the end of March 1900 stamps
began to be revalued by a surcharge overprint, see the illustration below of a 2-pence stamp with a 6-pence surcharge.
Many similar Mafeking ?Besieged Stamps? stamps are known. This was for mail being secretly sent out of Mafeking
past the Boer defenses. The surcharge covered the added expenses of the runners. For internal use between ?dingy
holes,? where people lived, other stamps were issued.
By early April two locally-produced stamps were issued, the so-called Mafeking blue stamps. These were
produced by the ?Mafeking Mint? using the blue print technique used previously for the ?1 note. These very attractive
stamps were produced in 1- and 3- penny denominations.
From Inside Mafeking we further learn of the one pence stamp: The penny one (stamp), bearing the design of
the messenger riding a bicycle, also has its history. The messenger was a boy named Goodyear, son of Captain
Charles Goodyear, the well-known quartermaster of the BBP at one time. I took a snapshot of him posed in rather
an unsteady position on the road, as though riding a dispatch, with the down pedal resting on a stone.
In addition, the three-pence stamp has an interesting history. At first Paymaster Greener and his coworkers
thought of putting Queen Victoria on this stamp. However, the modest use of the stamp made them switch to using
Baden-Powel instead. His photograph was taken and it was trimmed to use as the model for the ?blueprint? stamps.
Twelve stamps per sheet were printed. BP actually questioned why the Queen wasn?t selected and this modest use
A Mafeking coupon for 2 quarts of Sowen, a kind of
porridge. This was for a family (Colin Narbeth).
Major Godley issued this ticket for free sowen for the
Mafeking Garrison (Colin Narbeth).
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reason was given to him. He is quoted by Greener as not really liking it but allowing his portrait to be used after
they had all been prepared already.
The stamps are scarce today and very popular among philatelists. Varieties exist.
A three-pence siege stamp of Mafeking, unused, 1900. This stamp featured Baden-Powell
himself from a photograph taken within Mafeking (Robert Siegel).
2-pence stamp with a 6-pence
surcharge
A one-penny siege stamp of
Mafeking, postally used in May,
1900. The C.G.H. in the cancellation
stands for Cape of Good Hope.
Close up of the rider on the one-penny
stamp.
The Mafeking post office was also where low
denomination notes were printed (Ineson).
London rally celebrating the end of the siege of Mafeking,
May, 1900 (Wikipedia).
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The siege ended on May 17, 1900. It had lasted 217 days. This was massively celebrated throughout the
United Kingdom.
I now have a much better appreciation of the meaning of ?Mafeking? in British history.
Formal portrait of Major-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st
Baron Baden-Powell that is in the National Portrait Gallery, UK. It was made in
1912 (National Portrait Gallery, UK).
Bibliography
Robin Drooglever (ed) Inside Mafeking?A Monument to British Pluck? The Diary of Herbert Greener (Token Publishing:
Honiton, Devon, England) 2009.
John Ineson, Paper Currency of the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902) (Spink: London) 1999.
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U N C O U P L E D :
PAPER MONEY?S
ODD COUPLE
Joseph E. Boling Fred Schwan
Warsaw Uprising Propaganda - NOT
By 1 August 1944 Soviet forces were
approaching Warsaw, and called for the Polish
home army to rise against the German occupation
forces. Expecting help from the Soviets, the Poles
fought for two months while the Soviets sat and
watched. Warsaw was destroyed, along with the
Polish forces.
During this period some Polish notes were
stamped with propaganda messages. These were
little known to collectors until the 1980s, when a
small hoard was dispersed. At the time World War
II Remembered was written, we knew about them
but little else. They are discussed on page 366, but
not given catalog listings. Now, as old collections
are broken up, some are re-entering the market.
These overstamped notes predate digital
printers?but not Xerox machines. In 2017 David
Seelye asked me to examine some, and I discovered
that every black overprint I handled had been
created on a Xerox copier. Of all pieces available to
me, only a single example stamped in faded blue
ink on a badly stained note appears to be original.
On many pieces, even at 20x magnification it is
difficult to see the tell-tale stray bits of black toner
that escaped from the applied image. A few are less
well ?printed,? and one shows distinct evidence of
having passed over a roller on its path through the
copier that damaged the black toner while it was
still hot and malleable.
Figures 1-4 show examples of the four
?stamps? known from this group. Figures 5-7 show
parts of the ?stamp? in figure 2. Hopefully in the
magazine you will be able to see the clouds of stray
toner that lie outside the image. Fig 5 is the letter
?W? inside the bottom of the large ?V? of figure 2.
Fig 6 shows the top right arm of the ?V.? Fig 7 is
the letters at the lower left of the ?stamp? of fig. 2.
See Figures on Boling Continuation page 383.
Location, location, location
As you know, I am more than a bit eccentric. I
collect the entire country?large size, small size, the
whole banana. When I finished my type set, I moved on
to collect examples from each state. Territories? Sure if
I ever got an opportunity. National bank notes? No. I
collect United States defense and war bonds! The
situation with war bonds is Joe?s fault. He pushed me
into the bonds in the early 1990s and I have excitedly
pursued them ever since.
The similarities between collecting these bonds and
collecting nationals are remarkable. Defense and war
bonds (collectively henceforth war bonds) were issued
in two distinct sizes. They were issued in every state and
(probably) in all territories. The bonds were issued at far
more places than were national bank notes. Just start
with the idea that the bonds were sold by all national
banks. They were also sold at post offices, other banks
and at many grocery and shoe stores. A very interesting
little twist is that you can collect bonds that were issued
by national banks. I am dabbling in that a bit myself. I
only collect nationals from one county (Ottawa county,
Ohio). The county had only three national banks (six
different titles, but that is a story for another time). I
have notes from all three (six) banks, but have found a
war bond from only one.
Determining (estimating) relative scarcity/rarity of
a bond by state of issue is an art akin to doing the same
thing for nationals. The general assumption is that rarity
correlates largely with the quantity issued. Mainly we
do this because with the bonds, as with national bank
notes, we have good ideas as to how many were printed
and issued, but less accurate data, if any, on how many
were redeemed and destroyed. Then there is the question
of how many remain of those that were not redeemed.
With the bonds there is one additional consideration. A
substantial number of bonds that were redeemed AND
cancelled escaped destruction and are available for
collectors today.
As you would expect, states with small populations
are most likely to have had fewer bonds than states with
larger populations. It will not surprise you that Nevada
had the lowest bond sales of any state. With a wartime
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population of just over 100,000, the state had about $50
million in bond sales. Compare this with New York at
$4,834,219,000 in sales.
It was when I found a Nevada bond that I got
hooked on collecting by state. I figured that if I had the
rarest one, the rest would be easy. Right? Well, of
course, we know that an item may well not be the rarest
just because it had the lowest production or sales, or the
highest redemption. There are always other factors.
Hoards, and just plain luck (good and bad) play parts.
Still, I was excited to start with my Nevada bond.
The next four states in order of sales from scarcest
to less scarce are Vermont, Wyoming, New Mexico, and
Delaware. Nothing too surprising in this list. Not only
do all four of these states have small populations, but
they are ALL missing from my collection!
As often happens I have loosened my standards
since I started. Collectors often restrict themselves to
uncirculated notes, but soon discover that such a
standard is hopeless for nationals. I have loosened my
standards so much that I am willing to accept a SCAN
of bonds from any state that I do not have. You can help
me! Do you have any war bonds from states that I do not
have? In addition to Nevada, Vermont, Wyoming, New
Mexico, and Delaware, I need images (or bonds, please,
please, please) of: Utah, Maine and Kentucky.
What state is it anyway? The state of issue is often
not as clear for war bonds as for nationals. War bonds
were registered in the name of the buyer. The bonds also
identified as to the issuing agency. This identification
was usually by rubber stamp, but many other methods
were used. Finally, for redeemed and cancelled bonds,
the location of this final activity was often indicated.
Ideally, all of these locations would be in the same state.
Often this is not the case. It was very common for bonds
to be sold by payroll deduction. In the case of Army
personnel, the bonds were issued with a Chicago issuing
agency stamp and mailed to the various states. From the
point of view of collecting bonds by state, most of those
bonds are not of much interest. However, if the bond
were registered to and sent to a soldier in Alaska, I
would be excited about it.
I have quite carefully avoided mentioning bonds
from the territories?I wanted to build up to them! Just
as with national bank notes, the territories provide the
most interesting challenges and opportunities.
The most obvious non-state entities are the District
of Columbia, Territories of Hawaii (TH) and Alaska.
The first two are well known and perhaps surprisingly
not rare. Indeed the district and TH had very high per
capita sales. TH bonds are not rare, but they are popular
and sought after. Additionally, they were issued with
and found with various commemorative stamps making
them even more desirable for collectors.
What is the situation with Alaska? It is very simple.
Collectors have been searching but none are known,
reported or even hinted at and few clues. Certainly they
were issued and likely some remain out there for
collectors to find. It will be headline news when the first
Alaska war bond is found.
Government reports that I have been able to find
include report of three additional territories (from most
sales to least): Puerto Rico, Canal Zone, and Virgin
Islands. Of these three, bonds are reported only for
Puerto Rico. For the Canal Zone some sales promotional
items are known in collection. For the Virgin Islands
even less.
Alaska Defense Command Certificate
Puerto Rico Band
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Surprisingly there are more possibilities and
reports. The clearest case is the Philippine Islands!
A bond is known from Guam with a typewritten
annotation in the margin that it was issued on
Guam. There are other possibilities too. What about
American Samoa and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?
Here is a really tantalizing idea. Bonds were sold at
United States embassies around the world to staff and
Americans who visited the embassies. That means that
it is at least in theory possible to find defense bonds sold
in Berlin or Tokyo before Pearl Harbor. No bonds sold
at embassies have been found and identified?yet. It is
very possible or even likely that most of these bonds
have sales agency stamps that are not obvious as to place
of sale, but it is equally likely that many of these (if we
can find any) will have some sort of identification
obvious or otherwise.
The images of the small size Puerto bond and
Philippine Islands bond are courtesy of Jim Downey.
Please do dig out any war bonds that you have in the
hope of filling in some of my holes!
Puerto Rico Soldier bond (above) &
Canal Zone $200 Bond Certificate (below)
TH and Philippine Island Address
TH bond issued Pearl Harbor Day 1942.
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Boling continued:
Figure 1 Figure 2
Figure 3 Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 7
Figure 6
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Figures 8 and 9 are the left and right sides of the outer circle of the image in figure 4. Note the vertical
lines created by something that scraped across the image while it was still hot and soft.
Figure 10 is the single piece I have seen that appears to have a genuine rubber stamp.
Figures 11-16 are pairs of the same portions of the blue and black images of figures 10 and 1.
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
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Watch for these propaganda ?overstamps,? and do not be deceived.
Figure 13 Figure 14
Figure 15 Figure 16
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Chump Change by Loren Gatch
Paper Money Fifty Years Ago
Traditionally, for me
summer is the perfect time to procrastinate. This year
has been no different. Earlier this spring, Editor Benny
Bolin solicited the SPMC Board?s help in constructing
a proper index of back issues of Paper Money (on our
website, you can do keyword searches of our archived
issues, but somehow the results are unhelpful). I
gamely committed to indexing a five-year span from
1969 to 1974 (that?s Whole Nos. 29-54) and then left
the poor Excel file in my email inbox to rot away from
neglect. By early August my remorse grew so strong
that I finally threw myself into the task. With my
modest chunk of the indexing project now done, I
thought it worthwhile giving my impressions of what
our journal, our organization and our hobby looked like
a half a century ago.
Then as now, Paper Money recognized the
people who make our organization happen. Just as our
present issue honors the contributions of Fred Reed, so
too did we once salute the legacy of stalwarts of the
hobby like the remarkable William A. Philpott, Jr.
Philpott?s final article, on 1914 Series Federal Reserve
notes, appeared in the same Winter 1972 issue as did
his memorial notice. Aged 86, the man died happily in
his traces.
With their passing, the old authorities gave
way to new stewards of the hobby. The Fall 1970 issue
profiled an already-accomplished numismatic author
named Peter Huntoon who, having just polished off his
PhD in hydrology, promptly embarked on a career of
researching and publishing that is still going strong
after a half century (in contrast, by 1970 I had just
managed to complete my merit badge in coin
collecting). Likewise, a young Wendell Wolka had
begun writing about banking and currency in Indiana,
even while shouldering the duties of SPMC librarian.
I mean no disrespect to our forebearers
in saying that, back then, the journal looked drab.
Color illustrations were still two decades away. If
anything, these limitations put an authorial
premium on descriptive precision to make up for the
relative lack of imagery. In various ways, some
less obvious than others, the Paper Money of
1969-1974 was simply a different publication. This
reflected the state of the hobby itself. Much of
what we know about state obsolete and national
bank notes hadn?t yet been written or published. As
a result, great effort went into the basic descriptive
listing and classification of various issues. Harry
Wigington?s work on Montana (Spring 1973) or
Burgett?s and Lindsay?s on Kansas (Fall 1970) are
good examples of this. During these years, coverage
of world notes, never a strong point for our group,
actually compared well to our present day, thanks to
regular contributors like Richard A. B?nyai and Mati
Tiitus.
Otherwise, some concerns are perennial. In
1970, Guy Cruse called for consistent grading
standards (good luck with that!). Collectors fretted
about the damage inflicted by the polyvinyl chloride in
their holders. And, in July 1974, Huntoon inveighed
against the ?menace? to collecting posed by doctored
(especially washed) notes.
Given the relative difficulty of acquiring news
and information in a pre-internet world, our journal
served functions that it no longer does. Then, Paper
Money formed the backbone of a clubby and intimate
collectors? community. Short, unsigned articles
reported not just on hobby goings-on but on how the
wider world affected ?syngraphics? (a term invented
about that time). The Spring 1970 issue described the
attempted takeover of the American Bank Note
Company by some upstart conglomerate. By early
1974, the resignations of Treasury Secretary Schultz
and Treasurer Banuelos promised new signature
combinations on Federal Reserve notes. That same
year came word of a fellow named Lyn F. Knight who
had established a mail order business in coins
and currency out of Kansas City.
Fifty years ago the paper money hobby was
not just younger, but arguably more dynamic than it is
today. My indexing chore ended with the November
1974 issue, which covered the SPMC?s 14th Annual
Meeting. There, Secretary Vernon Brown reported that
membership hit an all-time high of 2,042. The journal
was moving from publishing four, to six, times a year.
At the time, these meetings coincided with the yearly
ANA convention, and Editor Barbara Mueller?s
commentary bristled with indignation at perceived
slights inflicted upon our organization by the ANA?s
convention organizers.
In all this, there was a confidence and
brashness about the future that we would do well to
revive. The very connectivity that the internet now
provides weakens the rationale for groups like ours.
Collectors have become, in a phrase Wendell Wolka
once used, ?lone wolves? pursuing their hobby online,
and in isolation. More than just a source of
information, Paper Money of the 1970s defined a
community. It should do so once again.
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The Obsolete Corner
The Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road Bank
by Robert Gill
To all my paper money loving friends, I hope
this has been a good year for you in your hobby
endeavors. As the fall season is approaching us, it
has been pretty rewarding so far for me in adding
to my collection. And I'm hoping the upcoming
Long Beach show in late September will have
something for me.
And now, let's look at the sheet that I'm going
to share with you in this issue of Paper Money.
So, let's go up North, and look at The Erie and
Kalamazoo Rail Road and its Bank, operating out
of Adrian, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio. My
pictured sheet is tattered and in not very good
shape, but oh is it a rare one!
In early 1800s America, construction of
railroads caught the interest of rail fans, business
entrepreneurs, and investors west of the Allegheny
Mountains. With a nominal capitalization of
$1,000,000, of which $100,000 was paid in,
principally by six investors in Adrian and Port
Lawrence, The Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad
Company was incorporated on April 22nd, 1833.
This was done under special act of the Territory of
Michigan, now the State of Michigan, for the
purpose of constructing and operating a railroad
from Port Lawrence (now Toledo, Ohio, which
was then claimed to be in the Territory of
Michigan) on Lake Erie, to Adrian, in Lenawee
County, Michigan Territory, and then on across
Michigan Territory to the head waters of the
Kalamazoo River. This would give access to Lake
Michigan.
When the boundary dispute was settled,
Toledo was declared to be within the limits of the
State of Ohio, and the Rail Road was incorporated
on April 4th, 1852, under the general laws of that
State. Under special act of May 18th, 1846, the
State of Michigan (became a state in 1837)
amended the charter of The Erie and Kalamazoo
Rail Road, fixing the westerly terminus at Adrian.
Construction of the Railroad reached Adrian
in 1836, becoming the first railroad to be in
Michigan Territory. Its rails were made of oak
topped with thin iron strips. Horses pulled small
railcars the thirty miles between Port Lawrence
and Adrian. In July of 1837, a steam locomotive
replaced the horses. The owned mileage of the
Railroad was acquired by construction during the
period from between 1833 and 1837. It is unclear
whether the construction work was performed by
the Company's forces or by contract.
In addition to being the first railroad west of
the Alleghenies, it became, in 1837, the first
railroad, west of that range of mountains, to
operate a steam locomotive. It was also the first
western line to operate as an interstate railroad,
and to carry the U.S. Mail.
The Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road went
bankrupt in 1840. During its life, it was part of
multiple rail systems. As part of separate
corporations, it existed as a leased railroad, paying
regular dividends to its shareholders for more than
a hundred and twenty-five years.
As for banking, The Erie and Kalamazoo Rail
Road Bank was authorized in 1836, and given the
authority to choose its own officers and become
separate from the Railroad, except that the
Railroad was still liable for the notes issued by the
Bank.
In 1841, when the Bank was suspended, it
was bought by Governor Hunt of New York. He
also bought the Rail Road, and separated the Bank
completely. In 1853, he sold it to a group of
investors headed by Addison J. Comstock, who
reopened it with himself as President, and A.
Parker as Cashier. The Bank bought the property
of Dr. Charles Hoyt on Maumee Street, to build a
new, impressive banking house with a vault and
President?s Room. A.J. Comstock retired in July
of 1854 due to health reasons and financial
obligations, and was replaced as President by
Noah Lee, of Albany, New York.
The Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road Bank
closed on October 1st, 1854, leaving a very
negative impact on the areas where it operated.
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Below is an article taken from The Detroit Daily Free Press dated October 8th, 1854.
So there's the history of this struggling
enterprise, and the result that it left on the
citizens that came its way. This is just
another example of the usual impact that a
failed business had on the areas where it
operated.
As I always do, I invite any comments
to my cell phone number (580) 221-0898, or
my personal email address
robertdalegill@gmail.com
So until next time, HAPPY
COLLECTING.
Defunct at last. We believe the free press has steadily expressed the opinion The Erie
and Kalamazoo Rail Road Bank, at Adrian, would prove a short-lived concern. Time and
again we have warned the public against it, and against all similar irresponsible institutions,
predicting that to what ever extent credit should be given to it, and to them, to that extent
would there be public loss.
But too soon have our expectations been realized. The Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road
Bank has exploded. The immediate cause of the explosion is understood to be that the bank
was found to have issued notes immensely beyond the limit of its charter, and that an
injunction has consequently been served upon it at the instance of a large creditor.
We are not advised as to how large the public loss will be by this failure, or what
proportion of it will fall upon the people of our own State. We understand, however, that the
circulation was pretty well cleaned up hereabouts, and that Wisconsin and Illinois are
flooded with it. The great majority of sufferers, as usual, will be those who are least able to
bear the sacrifice.
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A Golden Opportunity!
by Robert Calderman
The August Chicago ANA Convention has just
ended and the pinnacle numismatic event of the
(Hopefully) post Covid debacle did not disappoint. Not
only was the show very well attended, countless
dealers experienced record breaking sales results that
they will be talking about for years to come. The
market is on fire and it was so much fun to hear all of
the laughable problems dealers were having during the
show. On Friday I kept hearing things like, ?I?m
running out of invoices!? and ?I just ran out of
checks!? There was even a loud buzz hopping around
the bourse floor that a paper money dealer got
completely bought out! Wow what a dream come true!
If you have not made it to a coin show lately, I can say,
with authority, that shows are officially back and in
full force! The Summer FUN show last month was so
astounding that I thought it genuinely couldn?t be beat
by any other event scheduled for the remainder of the
year. That may have held true?and then the ANA
boldly proved me wrong! Folks who chose to sit this
one out should be kicking themselves and need to jump
on the opportunity of booking the 67th Winter FUN
Show in Orlando coming soon in January 2022. Now
that I?ve thoroughly made you feel guilty for missing
out on all the excitement, let us move on and talk about
a great large size paper money variety that you could
be hunting for. The next bourse floor may contain a
pot of gold waiting for a savvy student like you, with
the advanced skills required to unearth hidden
treasures.
Gold certificates are a crowd pleaser at shows and the
large size designs are particularly coveted for their
elegance and blazing orange ink. The backs of these
notes are mesmerizing, especially when original
quality examples reach extra fine and above condition.
A gold note type that is generally considered common
are the large size 1922 $10 Gold Certificates featuring
the very first United States Treasurer Michael Hillegas.
A chap that looks strikingly European, or dare I say
even British, has his esteemed portrait featured on
these notes as well as the earlier issue of 1907 $10 gold
certificates. While he may look like a foreign
dignitary, Hillegas was actually born in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in 1729! As is often found on large size
notes, these ten-dollar gold certificates feature one of
the great royal portraits on our paper money that is not
actually a U.S. president! As our first Treasurer,
Hillegas is inarguably deserving of the honor. Gold
certificates in general have experienced a significant
jump in demand and pricing has followed suit with an
uptick of nearly 30% over the past 18mos. If this
seems shocking, take a look at recent eBay completed
sales and see for yourself how these have very clearly
jumped in price, especially for choice examples at the
VF35Q level and above grades!
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There is an unrecognized rarity with Hillegas that we
will look at in detail here together. 1922 $10 GC?s
come in a bevy of varieties. There are 1922 small
serial number and large serial number varieties, with
stars available on both. Also mule and non-mule
varieties exist, including mule stars, creating an
incredible total of eight possible notes required to
completed a full variety set of all possible 1922 $10
gold certificates!!! Out of all of these possibilities the
toughest non-star variety is the Fr.1173m large serial
number mule variety. Looking at observed population
numbers, there are nearly eleven thousand unique
examples of 1922 $10 GC non-mules in the online
census. When looking at the observed mule examples,
it?s hard to take the data seriously at first glance. The
numbers seem so vastly different that one would
expect there must be a huge mistake! Mules for the
large serial number variety tally in at a miniscule 138
notes known. This information supports Doug
Murray?s estimate that roughly just two percent of
surviving examples are mules. In uncirculated
condition the disparity is equally shocking! For
PCGS-Currency and PMG combined, there are
currently a total of 765 non-mule notes graded CU60
or higher. Incredibly, only 8 mule examples have been
holdered in CU by both grading services combined!
So with mules accounting for an unbelievable one
percent of the known population in uncirculated
condition, this should now be something you emblazon
in your mind the next time you look at a 1922 $10 gold
certificate. However, this now creates a quandary that
may hold you hostage? How does one identify a mule
vs. the non-mule variety? Let?s take a look together at
what makes these mules extremely easy to identify
o n c e y o u ? v e d e v e l o p e d a t r a i n e d e y e .
All 1922 $10 GC?s feature the signatures of
Spellman and White; their earlier 1907 series
counterparts had a total of six different signature
combinations! The final 1907 issue Fr.1172 features
the signatures of Teehee and Burke. On all of these
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Burke notes, as well as their predecessors, the back of
the notes all have their plate serial numbers located in
the upper right hand area of the design. The newer
1922 Spellman-White notes changed this plate number
location to the upper left quadrant of the note (See
Illustrations). All you need to remember is on a 1922
$10 Gold Certificate, the mule variety will have the old
Burke back plate with an upper right hand plate serial
number. The old Burke back plates mated with the
new Spellman-White faces create this ?Mule? variety.
Finding one of these mules in any condition is cause
for celebration since the surviving numbers in all
grades are crystal clear at 1.25% underscoring that fact
that you have located a significant treasure. When it
comes to valuing your find, things get a little tricky.
Auction records are few and far between and
specifically for the Fr.1173m there are not many
instances where we have a clear picture to definitively
evaluate values. Typically a heavily worn example
will not command a significant premium. However, as
higher grades combine with rarity, the desirability and
demand significantly affect value. Recently in January
2018, an AU58 1922 $10 GC Mule sold at auction.
Normally three and a half years ago would not equate
to being recent, but when rare varieties are on the table,
this is often as good as i t gets! The About
Uncirculated 58EPQ specimen sold for $2,640.00 by
Heritage Auctions as part of the Doug Murray
Collection. This is a significant amount for an AU
example when considering the average non-mule in
G e m 6 5 f r e q u e n t l y s e l l s f o r f a r l e s s !
Do you have a great Cherry Pick story that you?d like
to share? Your note might be featured here in a future
article and you can remain anonymous if desired!
Email scans of your note with a brief description of
what you paid and where it was found to:
gacoins@earthlink.net
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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The front of the Type-41 Treasury note endorsed by Capt. B. F. Lovelace, Assistant Quarter Master.
front and back images: Amanda Sheheen
Capt. B. F. Lovelace
Assistant Quarter Master
Benjamin Franklin Lovelace, born in about
1834, was a teacher, and on June 26th, 1861 he was
appointed as a Captain & AQM reporting to the 7th
Regiment South Carolina Infantry. This unit was
known as the ?Bloody Seventh,? whose history is
detailed by Mac Wyckoff.1 The unit saw little action
in 1861 while stationed in Northern Virginia in
Kershaw?s Brigade, but 1862 was a baptism of fire in
the Seven Days Campaign and the Battle of Malvern
Hill. They later captured the Maryland Heights at
Harpers Ferry and fought at Antietam. During this
time they lost 110 killed and 362 wounded. Similar
losses piled up in 1863 and 1864, and in early
January of 1865 they returned to South Carolina in an
unsuccessful attempt to stop Sherman?s march. B. F.
Lovelace was paroled on April 26th, 1865, as the
AQM of Kennedy?s Brigade, Walthall?s Division,
Stewart?s Corps.
Here is an example of Lovelace?s
endorsement with Interest Paid stamps from Augusta,
Georgia, as found on the back of the note illustrated
above, courtesy of Amanda Sheheen:
?Paid out
12th day Feb?y 1863
B F Lovelace
Capt & AQM
CSA?
The Quartermaster Column No. 20
by Michael McNeil
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B. F. Lovelace?s Civil War history is well
documented in the National Archives files for
Confederate Officers, available online at Fold3.com.
53 of his documents are found in the files for the
State of South Carolina, Seventh Infantry, and there
are a further 46 documents in the files for Officers.
There was a great deal of activity in the Confederate
files of the National Archives in the 1905 timeframe
when the last survivors of the Civil War were dying
off. Documents and field orders were cross-
referenced to produce summary cards of promotions
and transfers, and career summaries were typed for
many, but not all, officers. Such a typed career
summary exists for Capt. B. F. Lovelace, and it is
shown in Figure 1. I do not have the luxury of space
to show these career summaries for all of the officers
described in the QuarterMaster Column, but the
interested reader can find them the book describing
these officers in more detail.2
In a communication of February 6th, 1862,
Capt. Lovelace filed reports for payment of troops at
what Lovelace called Bull Run, Virginia, a Northern
term used to describe what the Confederacy called
Manassas. Of more interest than the unusual place
name are Lovelace?s reports of May 19th to Col.
Myers, Quartermaster General, in which he
referenced the payment of troops for the months of
September and October 1861, and which were not
actually paid to the troops until February 10th, 1862.
Lovelace here touches on a serious problem for the
Confederacy ? its finances. Comments from
quartermasters about late payments to troops are not
hard to find in the National Archives files.
The problem was rooted in the new
Confederate Treasury Department, which had to be
built from scratch, unlike its Northern counterpart
with decades of institutional history. The Secretary of
the new Treasury Department, C. G. Memminger,
whose father was a German quartermaster, relied
initially on the New York printing houses of the
National Bank Note Company and the American
Bank Note Company to print the entire first issue of
Confederate Treasury notes issued from April 5th to
September 23rd 1861. Southern printers of currency
were not geared at that time to large scale production.
The willingness of Northern printers to take contracts
from the Confederacy underscored the profit motive
of the free market and its lack of conscience or
loyalty to the North. President Lincoln, however, had
other ideas about the free market and sent Union
agents to seize the printing plates used for
Confederate Treasury notes. It might be dryly noted
that all American presidents of the last few decades
have lacked Lincoln?s resolve with respect to free
market excess.
The total output of the first issue by the New
York printers was a minuscule 16,022 notes of all
denominations from $1,000 to $50, hardly the type of
denominations needed to pay front line privates who
earned $11 per month. With the seizure of the
printing plates in the New York printing houses,
Memminger was forced to build a public-private
infrastructure in the South to meet his currency
needs. The second issue of Confederate Treasury
notes commenced with the private printing firm of
Hoyer & Ludwig on July 25th, 1861, and by
November 2nd Hoyer & Ludwig had produced
669,586 Treasury notes in denominations from $100
to $5. While this was vastly larger than the first issue,
it was still inadequate to the needs of the
Confederacy, and that inadequacy is reflected in
Capt. Lovelace?s comments about the late payment of
his troops. By the time that Lovelace had paid his
troops on February 10th, 1862, the third issue of
Treasury notes was well under way with millions of
notes printed. Memminger struggled with production
from multiple private printing houses in the South,
and this no doubt contributed to weakness in the
Southern war effort. Dr. Douglas B. Ball?s book,
Financial Failure and Confederate Defeat, deals
precisely with this issue. Memminger was very
creative and an excellent administrator, but he was
hobbled by the Confederate legislature on many
fronts. On several occasions he asked the legislature
for permission to use engraved signatures on
Treasury notes but was repeatedly rebuffed. Northern
currency used engraved signatures. When in full
production in 1864, the Treasury-note Bureau in
Columbia, South Carolina, employed about 100
women who signed for the Treasurer and the Register
at significant cost. These women were paid a salary
of $3,000 per year, more than the salary of a field
Captain. My great-great-grandmother was one of
them.
It will be the lucky and astute collector who
finds a note endorsed by Capt. B. F. Lovelace, AQM.
In the eleven years since the first book was published
on the endorsements of Confederate officers we have
only found the illustrated example.
? carpe diem
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Notes and References:
1. www.ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/Regimental/south_carolina/confederate/KershawsBrigade/7thSCV
2. McNeil, Michael. Confederate Quartermasters, Commissaries, and Agents, published by Pierre Fricke, Sudbury, MA,
2016. More research on B. F. Lovelace can be found on pages 425-427.
Figure 1. An example of a typewritten career summary compiled in the very early 20th century and gleaned from
original documents and field orders. These career summaries were compiled at a time when the last survivors of the
Civil War were disappearing. Not all officers have such summaries in the National Archives files for Confederate
officers. image: courtesy of Fold3.com
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SPMC Awards
SPMC President Robert Vandevender II and past president Shawn Hewitt gave
out our awards for literary excellence, service and announced our class of 2021
HOF members at the summer ANA.
HOF inductees
Clifford Mishler Forrest Dean Oakes
Daniel
(awarded posthumously)
Service Awards
Nathan Gold Award?for long-
term service to the hobby and
society?Bruce Hagen
Founders Award?for
outstanding service in the last year
to the society?Andy Timmerman
Nathan Goldstein Award?top recruiter of members to the society?Tom Denly
President?s Award?Presented by the President to person(s) deemed to have provided service to SPMC in the past
year worthy of recognition.?Jim Phillips
Education, Research and Outreach Award?For significant contributions to SPMC's emphasis on Education,
Research and Outreach?for speakers in the first SPMC virtual meeting?Benny Bolin, Robert Calderman, Mark
Drengson, Pierre Fricke, Shawn Hewitt, Cody Regennitter, Wendell Wolka.
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Literature Awards
Forrest Daniel Excellence in Literature Award--in recognition for exceptional literary
achievements?Loren Gatch
Book of the Year (Wismer Award)--A Comprehensive Guide to Alabama Obsolete Notes
1818-1885--Bill Gunther & Charles Derby
Wismer Award, Honorable Mention--Bank Notes and Shinplasters--The Rage for Paper
Money in the Early Republic--Joshua Greenberg
Articles Appearing in Paper Money Awards
? World Currency?Evangelos Fvsikas
? Large & Small Type Notes
o First place?Lee Loftus
o Second place?Joe Farrenkopf
? National Bank Notes
o First place?Frank Clark
o Second Place?Gary Bleichner
? Federal Currency Miscellaneous
o First place?Nick Bruyer
o Second place?Richard Melamed & Benny Bolin
? Obsolete Currency
o Tie for first place?Q. David Bowers & Gerald Dzara
o Second place?Charles Derby
? Confederate Currency?Enrico Aidala
? Miscellaneous
o First place?Kent Halland
o Second place?Steve Feller
? Favorite Column
o First place?Cherry Pickers Column?Robert Calderman
o Second place?Quartermaster Column?Michael McNeil
Obsolete Database Awards
? Issuer?Bill Gunther
? Denomination?Mack Martin
? Type?Shawn Hewitt
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The Numismatic Literary Guild
has named Paper Money
Best Club or Not-for-Profit Periodical-Small Circulation
And Paper Money?s Odd Couple?Joe Boling and Fred Schwan?s column,
Uncoupled, was named
Best Paper Money Column.
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Corrections to an article
In the last issue, while trying to make the table in the following article fit to a printable page, I inadvertently added
paragraphs to the data in one of the columns. Below are the notes that should not have these. If anyone is interested in
a corrected copy of the table, please email me for one. My apologies to the author and our readers.
Obsolete Currency Counterfeiters: Doty & Bergen, Part 2: Saints or Sinners?
I apologize for any inconvenience from the errors in my article in PM 334. In the text and captions repeated
references to printers Doty & Bergen are abbreviated (D&B). All of these should be D&B without parentheses. This
occurs 15 times (pp.274-278, 281). The paragraph explaining the table on page 278 is confused. The third sentence
should read, ?Haxby uses the abbreviation D&B for imprinted notes, (D&B) for attributed notes without imprint.?
The table of Doty & Bergen counterfeits from Haxby fails to indicate which notes have the imprint. The entire
column appears as (D&B) (= no imprint). As in the text, parentheses should be removed from the following notes in
the ?Imprint? column, changing all these to just plain D&B:
Notes from the spurious bank in Mankato, Minnesota appear with and without the imprint of Doty & Bergen.
Presumably, any altered Mankato note may or may not have the imprint. Column 8 of the table refers to the source note
of the alterations. Any altered from Mankato may yet appear with or without the imprint. The table only lists how known
notes appear in Haxby.
Under References: Apologies to R. Shawn Hewitt and others responsible for the Obsoletes Database Project. The
author could have sworn that it was the Obsolete Currency Database, with an unfortunate acronym. No irony intended.
CT, New Haven Merchants CT-284 A70
CT, Norwich Merchants CT-350 A45
ME, Bangor Merchants ME-110 A10
ME, Bangor Merchants ME-110 A50
MA, Boston Merchants MA-285 A10
MA, Boston Merchants MA-285 A25
MN, Mankato Merchants MN-75 G2
MN, Mankato Merchants MN-75 G4
MN, Mankato, Merchants MN-75 G6
MN, Mankato, Merchants MN-75 G8
NJ, Freehold Banking NJ-155 A30
NJ, Freehold Banking NJ-155 A35
NY, Albany Merchants NY-84 A15
NY, Onandaga Farmers NY-2095 S5
NY, Onandaga Farmers NY-2095 S10
RI, Providence Merchants RI-355 A95
VT, Burlington Merchants VT-60 A15
VA, Lynchburg Merchants VA-124 A20a
WI, Madison Merchants WI-380 A10
Warren Doty
Peter Bergen
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SPMC?s
60th
Birthday
1961-2021
Let?s celebrate and HAVE
FUN!!!
Paper Money * Sep/Oct 2021 * Whole No. 335
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Highlights shown are from our June Hong Kong International Auction
U.S. CURRENCY SIGNATURE? AUCTION
Long Beach | September 29-October 4, 2021
Paul R. Minshull #16591. BP 20%; see HA.com 60257
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Fr. 161 $50 1880 Legal Tender
PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ
Fr. 2231-G $10,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note
PMG About Uncirculated 50
Lowell, MA - Appleton Bank $500 Haxby G32P Proof
PMG Choice Uncirculated 63
Deseret Currency Association $10 Printing Plate Ca. 1860s
Fr. 1218f $1,000 1882 Gold Certificate
PMG Very Fine 25
Fr. 203 $50 1863 Interest Bearing Note
PMG Very Fine 30
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