0 Confederate States Coupon Bond – Criswell 26, Ball 42 – Rarely Offered

Description

0 Confederate States Coupon Bond – Criswell 26, Ball 42 – Rarely Offered
Offered for your consideration is a rarely seen 0 Confederate States coupon bond, issued near the end of the first year of the war. It was listed by the late Grover Criswell as Cr. 26 and by the late Dr. Douglas Ball as B. 42. The central vignette, while small, features a frontal view of the Richmond City Hall as it appeared in 1861. It is interesting to note that unlike many other vignettes depicting buildings, no pedestrians or period vehicles are shown. Above and flanking this scene are “
CONFEDERATE
/
States of America
”, while below is “
Loan Authorized by Act of Congress C.S.A. of August 19, 1861.
”, all surrounded by flourishes. This is followed by a lengthy financial obligation, presented in lovely italic script. This obligation states (in part) that “
On the first day of January 1867, The Confederate State of America will pay to the Bearer of this Bond
…
the sum of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, with interest thereon from this date
…
at the rate of Eight per cent per annum
…”.
It further indicates that “… This debt is authorized by an act of Congress … entitled, “An Act to Authorize the issue of Treasury Notes and to provide a War tax for their redemption …”. It was signed and sealed
“… at Richmond, this
28
day of
Decr.
186
1
…”
by
“
Ro: Tyler
”
in his capacity as
“Register of the Treasury”
. A rectangular, geometric border encloses the above elements, neatly separating them from the 4 remaining interest coupons. Each coupon is valued at
“FOUR DOLLARS”
and is hand-signed by “
N L Ferguson
”, a clerk in the Confederate Treasury. As with most bonds of this era, the reverse of this bond was blank, though it now bears a manuscript notation reading “
No. 19 --
0 --
/
The Planters & Mech. Bank of
/
So. Carolina
”. According to Confederate financial records, a total of 358 bonds of this type were originally issued. Undoubtedly, many of this original issuance would have been lost or destroyed in the intervening 150+ years, making the remaining pieces rare and desirable. This piece would make a great addition to any Confederate or Civil War currency collection.
Robert Tyler
was the son of John Tyler, the 10
th
President of the United States, and served as the register of the Confederate Treasury from August 13, 1861 until the close of the war. He received his position mainly through the influence of his father and not due to any special abilities of his own. It is interesting to note that during his father’s administration, Robert spent a great deal of time in the White House, and his wife served for some time as the official hostess.
The presently offered specimen exhibits signs of expected period use, followed by years of less than ideal storage. Light toning is present across the entire surface of the bond giving it a beige to light tan hue. This toning is slightly darker at the edges and along the storage folds. Several additional stains, as well as numerous small foxing spots, can be found scattered within the design. In common with virtually all documents of this size and type, numerous storage folds and creases are present, several of which have compromised the integrity of the paper (these folds occurred when the bonds were placed in safes or the cubbyholes of desks). Several small holes and thin spots can be seen when the bond is held to the light. The edges are significantly irregular, with the left and right sides being tightly cut (the medallions at the corners being slightly affected). Ink corrosion is present at all of the manuscript additions, though none of the paper appears to be missing at this time. Pencil notations at the upper right feature the catalogue numbers, a practice that was common years ago, but is frowned upon today. This interesting document measures approximately 10⅝ x 14 inches including the selvage. This piece would frame beautifully for display in a home or office, especially with a period photograph of the illustrated building.
A .95 charge will be added to the winning bid for postage and insurance.
A .00 charge will be added to any item picked up in person at our physical location.
If you have any questions regarding this item, please ask before purchasing.
Buy or Bid with Confidence – American Coins & Collectibles President Richie Self has worked 6 years as a paper money grader/authenticator. He has contributed to numerous reference books within the industry, as well as being a co-author of “The Comprehensive Catalog and History of Confederate Bonds, 2
nd
Edition” with Douglas B. Ball, Ph.D., Henry F. Simmons, M.D., Ph.D. and James R. Desabaye. Mr. Self is a life member of the American Numismatic Association, the Society of Paper Money Collectors, as well as numerous regional numismatic associations. He is an authorized submitter to NGC, PCGS, and PMG, a diamond founding member of Coin Dealers Helping Coin Dealers and a supporter of the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. American Coins and Collectibles can be found at many of the state and local coin shows.
American Coins and Collectibles
Shreveport, LA