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5 Dollars State of South Carolina
| Issuer | State of South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Year | 1873 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1785-date) |
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| Obverse description | Black intaglio on white paper with green underprint. Large numeral "5" counters at left and right within ornate guilloche medallions; central vignette of a military scene with officers and an enslaved figure at a table. Two portrait vignettes at lower left and lower right flank a cursive text panel. Denomination repeated in letterpress border along all four margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed entirely in green. Two large "FIVE" word counters at left and right, each within elaborate circular guilloche rosettes. Central panel framed by intricate lathe-work engraving contains an oval reserve with the statutory authorization text in copperplate script. Numeral "5" counters appear at upper left and upper right above the word counters. |
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| Comments |
South Carolina's 1873 state-issued currency appeared during Reconstruction, when the Republican-controlled legislature faced a state treasury so depleted by war debt and carpetbagger mismanagement that issuing paper obligations became a practical necessity. The American Bank Note Company had become the default printer for Southern governments rebuilding financial infrastructure in this period — their New York plates gave the notes a credibility that local printing houses simply could not supply.
South Carolina's Reconstruction government collapsed in 1877 when Wade Hampton's Democrats took the statehouse. Notes still outstanding at that point faced an uncertain redemption path, and many were never honored.