0 Trans-Mississippi Shreveport, Confederate States Bond – Cr. 121, Ball 232

Description

0 Trans-Mississippi Shreveport, Confederate States Bond – Cr. 121, Ball 232
Offered for your consideration is a 0 bond issued by the Confederate States of America in the Trans-Mississippi Department under the Act of February 20, 1863. It was catalogued by the late Grover Criswell as Cr. 121 and by the late Dr. Douglas Ball as B. 232. The central vignette depicts a seated Confederate soldier in his uniform, warming his hands above a blazing fire. He looks at the viewer with a determined stare, his rifled musket cradled in his arm and his pack on the ground (the pack appears to have
“15 Va”
stenciled on it). A column of troops can be seen passing dimly in the background. Immediately above this scene, presented in an arc, is printed
“Confederate States of America Loan”
, while below is the financial obligation, executed in a lovely italic script. According to this obligation,
“On the first day of July 1868, the Confederate States of America, will pay to the Bearer of this Bond … the Sum of Five Hundred Dollars, with Interest thereon from date, at the rate of Seven per Cent per annum …”
. It further states that
“… This contract is authorized by An Act of Congress approved 20
th
February 1863 Entitled “An Act to authorize the issue of Bonds for funding Treasury Notes” …”
. It was signed and sealed
“… at Richmond, this second day of March 1863 …”
by
“Ro. Tyler”
in his capacity as
“Register of the Treasury”
. A second, smaller vignette, depicting what appears to be a race between a sidewheel seamer on a river and a train on the shore behind, can be seen at the bottom. A decorative border encloses the above elements, neatly separating them from the seven remaining interest coupons. Each of these coupons is valued at
“SEVENTEEN 50/100 DOLLARS”
and is hand signed by
“B McRae”
(Miss B. McRae), a female employee of the Confederate treasury. This bond was printed on the same pink paper used on two other bond types and some of the currency issued at the same time. In common with most government bonds of this era, the back is blank.
What makes this piece particularly interesting is the red, three-line stamp which appears vertically at the center of the front, with the associated manuscript date, location, and signature on the back. The red stamp states that “
This Bond not to be valid until endorsed by the Depositary by whom it is to be issued.
”, while the manuscript endorsement on the back, referred to in the stamp, reads “
Endorsed Shreveport 28
th
Feb 1865
”, followed by the signature of “
H J G Battle
” in his capacity as “
Depositary
”. Bonds bearing these stamps were to be shipped to the Western Theater of the war, after the entire Mississippi River was in Union hands. The bonds were signed in Richmond, and therefore legal had they been captured by the enemy. The red stamp was applied so that the bonds would not become valid until they reached their destination and were signed by the issuing depositary. In this case, the black stamp was applied at the time of issue, along with the signature. The Confederate financial records indicate that approximately 800 bonds of this type were originally issued by H. J. G. Battle, a fairly significant quantity for the time, though many pieces were probably lost or destroyed in the intervening 150+ years. While not extremely rare, pieces of this type are truly historic reminders of this turbulent time in American history. The average American, even those well versed in history, are unaware that these bonds exist. Now is your chance to add one to your 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.
This piece exhibits toning across the entire surface, imparting to the document a somewhat dull appearance (it seems slightly dark at the center). Numerous small foxing spots are scattered throughout the design, significantly more noticeable on the otherwise blank back. The contrast is less than average for the issue, though this may be due to the toning issues. Due the acidic nature of the period ink and the poor quality of the paper, ink erosion is present at all of the manuscript additions. The Ball number,
“B-232”
, and what is probably a code, appears in pencil at the upper right (the practice of writing the catalogue number on bonds and currency was commonplace for years, though it is currently frowned upon and generally not done). In common with virtually all documents of this type, numerous horizontal and vertical folds are present (these folds occurred when the bonds were placed in safes or the cubbyholes of desks), with wrinkles noted at the edges. The margin is tight at the right, though none of the design elements are affected. This bond, due to the Trans-Mississippi association, is extremely popular with collectors. An attractive and historic memento of that turbulent period in American history.
A charge of .95 for postage and insurance will be added to the sale.
If you have any questions concerning 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