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50 Cents Bank of Industry
| Issuer | Bank of Industry, Martinsburg, VA |
|---|---|
| Year | 1861 |
| Type | Local banknote |
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| Obverse description | The face of this scrip note is laid out in a horizontal format with three denomination numerals "50" distributed across the design — one at center and one at each lateral margin — flanked by horizontal floral guilloche borders running the full width of the note. Small circular vignettes enclosing the numeral "50" appear at left and right, while a central top vignette presents a small architectural motif of a wall entwined with overgrowth. The entire composition is executed in a simple letterpress style typical of locally printed Civil War-era scrip. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Bank of Industry This bill will be Received for FIFTY-CENTS, Or exchanged for Current Notes, when FIVE DOLLARS in amount, are presented at my store Plate C Martinsburg, VA. May 28 1861 |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Industry in Martinsburg was a small commercial institution in what was then Virginia's lower Shenandoah Valley — a town that would change hands more than once during the Civil War. This fractional note almost certainly dates to the early months of the Confederacy's formation, when small-denomination specie disappeared from circulation almost overnight as the public hoarded coin. Local banks across the South and border regions filled the gap with their own fractional scrip, often printed quickly by local job shops with minimal security features.
Martinsburg passed permanently into Union control by 1862 and became part of the newly created state of West Virginia in 1863, which effectively ended this institution's operating authority. Notes from banks that ceased operation under those specific political circumstances were rarely redeemed.