Catalog
1 Dollar New York
| Issuer | Hungarian Fund (Kossuth) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1852 |
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| Currency | US Dollar (Hungarian Fund, 1852) |
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| Obverse description | Intaglio-engraved note arranged in three vertical registers: at left, a vignette of Lajos Kossuth in military dress; at centre, a classical allegorical female figure (Minerva) standing over a fallen adversary within an ornamental guilloche frame; at right, a standing female figure in Roman armour with spear and shield. Elaborate lathe-work numeral '1' medallions occupy each corner, with heraldic shield devices at the upper corners. The obligation legend of the Independent Hungarian Government appears in letterpress across the main text band, with the denomination ONE DOLLAR in bold display type and a manuscript signature at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a blind see-through impression of the obverse intaglio design printed through the sheet, serving as a security element. The central allegorical vignette, the flanking figures of Kossuth and the armoured female, the corner numeral '1' medallions, heraldic shield devices, and the HUNGARIAN FUND inscription are all visible in mirror image. No additional design elements are present. |
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| Comments |
Lajos Kossuth arrived in the United States in December 1851 to enormous public fanfare, seeking financial and political support for Hungarian independence following the failed 1848–49 revolution. These notes were issued by his Hungarian Fund as a kind of anticipatory national currency — obligations redeemable once an independent Hungary was established. That day never came. The fund raised money but the anticipated European revolution failed to materialize, and the notes became souvenirs of a cause rather than instruments of exchange.
Danforth, Bald & Co. were among the premier security printers of the period, responsible for much of America's antebellum banknote work — their involvement lent the issue a surface legitimacy that Kossuth actively cultivated during his American tour.