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3 Dollars State of Missouri
| Issuer | State of Missouri |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | The obverse presents a central vignette of a bearded male portrait, likely a political figure, flanked on either side by military and allegorical scenes including cannon, flags, and figures in period attire. Large green guilloche underprint letters spelling THREE dominate the lower central area, with numeral 3 counters at left and right. The note is dated Jefferson City, January 1st, 1862, with signature and countersignature lines at the bottom. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed with a green underprint ghosting the obverse design elements, including the central portrait vignette, flanking allegorical scenes, and the large THREE guilloche lettering, visible as a security through-print. The overall impression is predominantly green toned against a pale paper ground. |
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| Comments |
Missouri's decision to issue its own state currency in 1862 was a direct consequence of the Civil War fracturing normal banking operations across the border states. The state government, nominally under Union control but contested militarily by Confederate forces and pro-secessionist guerrillas throughout that year, needed circulating money quickly. The American Bank Note Company had the capacity and the security infrastructure to deliver it.
The watermarked paper was ABNCo's standard safeguard against counterfeiting — Missouri's notes were being copied almost immediately after issue, a problem endemic to state and local paper across the wartime Midwest.