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50 Cents
| Issuer | Confederate States of America |
|---|---|
| Year | 1863-1864 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | 1865 |
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| Obverse description | Central oval vignette of Jefferson Davis in profile facing left, surrounded by decorative scrollwork and floral ornaments. Denomination numerals '50' appear in the upper left and upper right corners within ornate frames, with the value 'Fifty Cents' lettered in script at upper left. The bold script legend 'FIFTY CENTS' dominates the lower portion of the note, flanked by the issuer's name in two lines and place and date of issue 'Richmond, April 6th 1863' at top; facsimile register and treasurer signatures appear at the lower margin. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain unprinted reverse on off-white paper stock, bearing no design elements, lettering, or ornamentation, consistent with standard Confederate fractional currency production of the period. |
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| Comments |
The Confederate Treasury's fractional notes were a direct response to the disappearance of small coinage from circulation — hoarded by a public that had already lost faith in paper. By 1863, even copper cents had vanished from everyday commerce across the South, forcing the Richmond government to paper over the gap with denominations no self-respecting central bank would otherwise issue.
Tyler and Elmore signed as Register and Treasurer respectively, their names lithographed rather than hand-signed — the sheer volume of notes required made individual signing impossible. Genuine hand-signed examples of this series exist but are uncommon.