Catalog
5 Dollars New York
| Issuer | Hungarian Fund (Independent Hungarian Government) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1852 |
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| Size | 200 × 103 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | HUNGARIAN FUND. / INDEPENDENT HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT / FIVE DOLLARS / Dated at New York January 1, 1852 / No. / 5 |
| Reverse description | The reverse is unprinted, presenting a plain white paper surface consistent with the single-sided printing technique employed for this issue; faint ink offset from the obverse impression is visible across the sheet. |
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| Comments |
The Hungarian Fund notes were issued by Lajos Kossuth's government-in-exile following the failed 1848–49 revolution against Habsburg rule. Kossuth toured the United States in 1851–52 to enormous public enthusiasm, and these dollar-denominated notes were intended to raise funds for a renewed independence campaign — payable, in theory, once a free Hungarian government was restored. They were sold to American sympathizers more as political instruments than as conventional currency.
Bancroft, Hanks & Co. was a respectable New York security printer of the period. Whether the fund ever redeemed a single note is another matter entirely.