Added: 02/20/2006 |
The Hobby of Collecting Paper Money Souvenirs and World Paper Money SouvenirsPaper money souvenirs are one of the most widespread and valuable souvenirs. There are many websites offering paper money souvenirs particularly US paper money souvenirs. One of the most interesting items for collectors and souvenir-hunters is US paper money, especially banknotes being issued during the period of the Civil War. This historical money is extremely rare so they are worth attention.
The Confederate States of America issued first paper money in 1861 just when the war broke out. In 1861 the US Treasury was authorized to issue paper money for the first time. This paper money was issued in the form of non-interest treasury notes and they were called demand notes. The total amount of paper money issued under the rule of the Confederacy was estimated at nearly 1.8 billion dollars. Due to the lack of metal there were no coins issued during the Civil War but instead there were more than seventy different note types issued within this period.
Most of designs of Confederate notes can be found in extensive catalogs such as the Criswell catalog. When the war was not in progress Confederate dollars were accepted widely throughout the South and had high purchasing power. But as the war broke out and progressed inflation was inevitable. The amount of money increased and it promoted inflation as well. As we can judge by prices of that time a piece of soap could sell for fifty dollars and an ordinary suit of clothes came at the price of three thousand dollars.
The very first Confederate dollars were issued in that time when the nation's capital was located in Montgomery, Alabama and represented the Confederacy. This item is very rare and expensive because "Montgomery" notes had very high quality. However the government was forced to move to Richmond, Virginia and as inflation progressed there were increasing demands for currency. Professional lithographers were not abundant as the main factories and industrial facilities were located in the North.
It resulted in reduced quality of Confederate banknotes and their multiple designs. There were many variations in papers, printings, plates etc. as well as interesting designs. On Confederate banknotes you can see various mythological Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. They appear on banknotes in the center or serve as ornamentations.
Widespread motives were slaves at work, railroad trains, ships, state capitols various animals and of course famous Americans such as George Washington and others. Under these conditions money counterfeiting was very widespread and in our time it is almost impossible to distinguish a real banknote from a fake. US paper money is one of the most desired collectibles and they can be purchased at various souvenir stores offering paper money souvenirs. In addition you can find there world paper money souvenirs. These souvenirs come from different parts of the globe. With these paper money souvenirs you can make a research of values of one or another country, famous leaders, moments in history so don't waste your time and buy the collectibles right now.
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