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5 Cents
| Issuer | State of North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Cents (0.05) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Plain typeset note on buff paper with no vignette. The issuer name 'State of North Carolina' is set in large gothic script at centre, with the denomination FIVE CENTS in bold letterpress below. Date 'Raleigh, Oct. 1st, 1861' appears upper right; printer and treasurer attributions run along the lower margin, with vertical border inscriptions on each side. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Entirely blank, with no printed text, vignette, or ornamental devices; the reverse shows plain unprinted paper. |
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| Comments |
North Carolina's fractional currency problem in 1861 was immediate and practical: coin vanished from circulation almost the moment secession was declared, hoarded by a public that understood silver's value better than they trusted any new political order. The state responded with a fast run of small-denomination notes, this being among the smallest — more a scrip token than a banknote in any traditional sense.
J. Spelman held the Public Printer contract in Raleigh and produced these under state authority, not a banking institution. Production was local and expedient, and the crude engraving reflects that urgency.