NC 1776 $2-1/2 

Title

North Carolina paper currency, Bill of Credit value two dollars and a half

Maker

[James Davis, printer]

Material

Laid paper, ink

Origin

North Carolina, [New Bern]

Date:

1776

Dimensions:

OH: 2 5/16” (6.4 cm)); OW: 3 15/16” (9.8 cm)

Description:

Engraved Bill of Credit for two-dollars-and-a-half issued by North Carolina with decorative border of scroll and flowers on the left side and a vignette of a liberty cap and an altar with the inscription  “libertas & natale/ solum” (liberty and our native land) in the lower left corner. Inscription: “N^o Carolina Currency/ N^o 9110 Two Dollars & an half./ By  Authority of Congress/ at Halifax April 2, 1776.” Ink signature on obverse: “Webb,” “D Summer” and “W Haywood.” Inscribed in ink on reverse: “MB.”

Donor:

Purchase

Relation:

Comments:

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. 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.

Language:

En

Rights:

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.”