NC 1776 $4

NC 1776 $4

Money--North Carolina--Specimens

Paper money--North Carolina--Specimens

North Carolina paper currency, Bill of Credit value four dollars

Engraved Bill of Credit issued by North Carolina with decorative border on right side, plain border on left side with inscription “four dollars”, vignette of sheaf of wheat in lower left corner. Inscription: “death to counterfeit / No Carolina Currency/ No [blank] Four Dollars/ By Authority of Congress/ at Halifax April 2, 1776.” Ink signature on obverse: “Webb” and “Sumner” and one [illegible]. Reverse: blank. Vertical crease down the middle.

An Act dated April 2, 1776, authorized the printing of $1,250,000 (£500,000) in Bills of Credit. The bills were issued in two series: $250,000 in the first, dated April 2, 1776 (the beginning of the session) and $1,000,000 in the second dated May 9, 1776. Each bill has a vignette and some also contain mottoes. Issued in a series of 10,000 bills. This denomination was subject to counterfeit. Fractional denominations are smaller in size than the higher denominations. Bills were signed by: Willis Alston, J. Bradford, William Haywood, G. Hill, Benjamin McCulloch, David Sumner, J. Webb, and William Williams. Some of the bills in this issue were engraved by “GL” thought to be Gabriel Lewyn, a Baltimore goldsmith. Only a few of the bills in this series have his initials.

Davis, James

Purchase

James Davis

1776

Richards, Nancy

Knight, Dean

Permission to use the photograph must be obtained in writing from Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens, New Bern, North Carolina. It must be accompanied by the caption” From the collection of Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens, New Bern, North Carolina; North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archive and History.”

OH: 2 3/8” (6.0 cm); OW: 3 3/16” (8.1 cm)

eng

Money

TP.1986.027.001

New Bern, Craven County, North Carolina

North Carolina

Money

OH: 2 3/8” (6.0 cm); OW: 3 3/16” (8.1 cm)