Replica 1862 One Dollar

The 1862 one-dollar United States Note was the first dollar bill issued directly by the federal government — prior to this, circulating paper currency came from private banks. The Legal Tender Act of February 1862 authorized the issue, driven by the Union's desperate need to finance the Civil War without draining its gold reserves. These notes were declared legal tender for all debts public and private, a genuinely radical move at the time, and their constitutionality was challenged all the way to the Supreme Court.

This is a replica. Collector value is nil; historical reference value only.