Catalog
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| Issuer | State of North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 10 Cents (0.10) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Plain typeset note without pictorial vignette, executed entirely in letterpress by the state public printer. The denomination numeral "10" appears in the upper left corner, with the issuing authority "State of North Carolina" set in large blackletter script across the centre. The promise-to-pay text and redemption date are rendered in a flowing script typeface, with "TEN CENTS" in bold spaced capitals below. A double-rule rectangular border frames the note, with marginal text reading "BY AUTHORITY OF LAW" along the left side and printer and treasury officer attributions along the lower and right margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely plain, unprinted reverse of uniform aged paper stock, showing no text, vignette, or ornamental device of any kind. The reverse surface displays only the natural texture of the period paper, with fold marks and wear consistent with circulation use. |
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| Comments |
North Carolina began issuing fractional notes almost immediately after secession, driven by the same small-change crisis that plagued every Confederate state — specie disappeared from circulation within weeks as hoarding took hold. J. Spelman operated as Public Printer in Raleigh and produced multiple denominations for the state under that arrangement, handling both treasury warrants and currency work simultaneously.
The 80 × 40 mm format was almost certainly a practical decision: smaller cuts wasted less paper, and paper supply was already becoming a concern by late 1861.