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4 Dollars Confederate States Loan
| Issuer | Confederate States of America |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863-1864 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed coupon in black on white paper, enclosed within a fine typographic border with corner ornaments. The heading reads "C.S. LOAN OF 1861" in bold serif capitals, below which the issuer name appears in italic script. The denomination "FOUR DOLLARS" is set in large bold type mid-field, with the coupon text stating the six-months interest terms and due date. A manuscript signature appears at the lower centre for the Register of the Treasury. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | C.S. LOAN OF 1861 The Confederate States of America Will pay to Bearer FOUR DOLLARS for Six Months Interest, due March. 1, 1864, on Bond No _____ for $100, payable at the Treasury of the Confederate States. for the Register of the Treasury |
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| Comments |
The $4 denomination was an oddity even by Confederate standards. Most Civil War-era Confederate issues ran in round figures — $1, $2, $5, $10 — but the $4 note was introduced partly to complicate counterfeiting, on the theory that forgers would find unusual denominations less worth replicating at scale. Whether the logic held is debatable; Confederate currency was being counterfeited industrially by Northern printers, denomination choice notwithstanding.
By 1863–64, the Confederate monetary system was in accelerating collapse. The Trans-Mississippi printing operations had decentralized issuance considerably, and notes from this period show significant variation in paper quality and ink consistency as domestic supplies deteriorated under the blockade.