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50 Cents Sutton and Stewart
| Issuer | Sutton & Stewart |
|---|---|
| Year | 1862 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 130 × 69 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette shows a seated female allegorical figure in classical dress surrounded by agricultural implements including a plow, rake, and scythe, set against a rural landscape with farm buildings in the background. Denomination numeral '50' appears in ornate guilloche cartouches at left and right. Below the vignette, the issuer name and promise to pay are set in bold letterpress type, with the place, date, and manuscript signature of Sutton, Marshall & Stewart running along the lower portion. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | 50 50 No. SUTTON & STEWART, pay to Bearer, FIFTY CENTS When presented in sums of One or more Dollars. Indiana, Pa., Dec. 18, 1862 Sutton, Marshall & Stewart HARRIS PRINTER 4TH & VINE PHILA. |
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| Comments |
Sutton & Stewart were commission merchants operating out of Louisville, Kentucky — their 50 cent note is a scrip instrument, issued to ease the coin shortage that paralyzed small transactions almost immediately after the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Federal specie vanished from circulation almost overnight as hoarding took hold, and merchants, ferry operators, and tradesmen across the border states filled the gap with their own paper.
Harris at 4th & Vine was a small commercial job printer, not a security press. These notes were produced cheaply and quickly, which is reflected in their vulnerability to counterfeiting — authenticity rested largely on local familiarity with the issuing firm.