Counterfeit North Carolina 20s Bill
Dateca. 1783
MediumPaper and ink
DimensionsOL: 4 7/16" OH: 3"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, Lasser Numismatics Fund
Object number2015-333
DescriptionContemporary counterfeit North Carolina 20 shilling bill of the May 17, 1783 issue.Label TextA problem since the late 17th century, counterfeit paper money continued to plague American citizens as the Revolutionary War wound down. Filling an every-day need for money, the State of North Carolina emitted an issue in the spring of 1783, payable in Spanish silver dollars, which included a TWENTY SHILLINGS bill. Its front carries a charming vignette of Justice and the legend DO AS YOU WOULD BE DONE BY, a truly ironic sentiment to have been fraudulently copied by a counterfeiter. Although circulating until 1816, original bills, and their counterfeited versions, are exceedingly rare today.
Fr. NC-206
Newman EPMA, p.326
ProvenanceFrom the Eric P. Newman collection.
ca. 1776-1777
April 1, 1773
June 18, 1764
January 1, 1756
April 10, 1778
July 17, 1775
May 6, 1776
February 8, 1779