2 Dollars 'Greenback'

The 1862 United States Notes were the first federally issued paper currency in American history — not bank obligations, not private banknotes, but direct obligations of the Treasury itself, authorized by the Legal Tender Act of February 25, 1862, as the Union scrambled to finance an increasingly expensive war. The nickname "greenback" stuck immediately, derived from the distinctive green ink applied to the reverse, a deliberate anti-counterfeiting measure since early photographic copying could not reproduce color.

The National Bank Note Company produced these under emergency contract conditions. Two series exist for the 2 Dollar denomination — Series of 1862 and 1863 — distinguished by the countersignature arrangements and the number of authorized Treasury officials whose signatures appear on the face.