RonnieRemonda

MODERN REPRODUCTIONS OF
CONFEDERATE CURRENCY

By Ronnie Remonda

        Why would anyone want to collect facsimiles of Confederate currency? For me it was, at first, simply a matter of covering my butt. After getting fleeced rather badly on the Internet, when I purchased what I thought was a genuine Confederate note, I decided that the best course to take was to buy all of the known fakes. I reasoned that in doing so I could ascertain what was real by the process of elimination. Good idea… right? Well, actually, no.

        I had no idea just how many different Confederate fakes, facsimiles, copies, and reproductions existed. The Confederate Treasury Company alone offers a complete album of seventy-one Confederate reproductions in one fell swoop. "There", you might say, "put the album on the shelf and go on to collect something more alluring, such as bottle caps. You've covered all the bases."

        Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Since this particular group of Confederate reproductions can only be purchased as a set, few are ever offered on the Internet as single notes. Besides, the people at the Confederate Treasury Company, in their wisdom, have printed the word "Reprint" on the back of every note, in compliance with the Hobby Protection Act. Well, almost.

        The Hobby Protection Act of 1998 states: An imitation numismatic item which is manufactured in the United States, or imported into the United States for introduction into or distribution in commerce, shall be plainly and permanently marked "COPY'.

        Unfortunately, many Confederate facsimile notes do not comply with the Hobby Protection Act, many of them having been printed in the 1950s and 1960s. Other modern notes don't comply because, well, who cares? The Federal Trade Commission is in charge of enforcing the Hobby Protection Act, and let's face it, they have bigger fish to fry. Besides, to add insult to injury, Confederate currency is considered to be foreign currency!

"Parchment" paper 1864 $500 T64 and 1861 $1000 T1

        Perhaps the worst offenders are the "parchment" paper copies printed by the Historical Document Company, of Philadelphia. They have been around since at least the early 1960s. (The company has been in business since 1926) There are 12 different sets including Confederate currency, state currency, Union currency, and Colonial currency. Perhaps the most infamous are the notes at the top left, the 1864 $500 Jackson #16760, and the 1861 $1000 John C. Calhoun/ Andrew Jackson #297.

        There is no reason to believe that any American currencies was ever printed on parchment paper, so will someone explain to me why there is so much of this stuff being sold on the Internet, some for good money? If it is made from parchment paper, it is a fake!

Whitman Publishing Company

Whitman Publishing started printing a set of six Confederate notes around 1959. The company went out of business in the 1980s. However, I have seen other examples of Whitman money that were definitely not issued by them. The backs of these notes are bogus and unique.

TOPPS Chewing Gum

Bogus and unique also describes the backs of the TOPPS Chewing Gum notes first issued around 1962 and later in 1964 by A&BC Chewing Gum Ltd. of England. There are 17 in this series. (15 in the A&BC set) These notes measure only 2.5 inches by 5.5 inches, a bit smaller than a modern US dollar.

Cheerios Premiums 1954

        Cheerios Premium money was issued in 1954. For 25 cents and a Cheerios box top you received nine notes and an album.   Cheerios is probably the best of all the older reproductions. Cheerios claims to have issued more Confederate currency then the Confederacy. I suppose the same could be said for Whitman Publishing Co., and the Historical Document Company.

        OK, from here on it begins to get complicated. We have contemporary counterfeits, older notes known as Fac-similes, modern computer generated images and photo copies, as well as many reproduction used as advertisement notes, the origin of most is vague to say the least.

        So where do we go from here? Serial numbers. Most real Confederate notes were printed on sheets of eight notes. The serial numbers were all the same, but the plate letters ranged from "A" to "H". Since most reproductions have the same serial numbers as well as the same plate numbers, once you know the serial numbers you can determine if it is real or a facsimile. Of course, for many facsimiles there was once a real note to copy, but what are the odds that this note is that note? OK, so the next logical thing would be to come up with a list of serial numbers of know reproductions:

PARCHMENT PAPER CURRENCY (1961)*
SET A                                                                SET C
$100 Virginia Treasury note 1862 - #119                  $20 CSA 1861 - #15247 (T-20) ("T" designations are
$100 State of Mississippi 1864 - #2758-A                $10 CSA 1861 - #470 (T-26)       from Criswell's
$5 Cotton Planters Ass.(SC) 1862 - #515-D            $50 CSA 1861 - #18443 (T-16)    Currency Series -1957)
$1 State of N. Carolina 1863 - #808-D                     $1000 CSA 1861 - #46-A also #297(T-1)
$1 Arkansas 1862 - #125,346 - #7,779-A                $1 CSA 1864 - #32984-A (T-71)
$100 State of Georgia 1864 - #19567-A                   $5 CSA 1864 - #23580-B also 50130-F(T-69)
SETB                                                                  SET D
$500 CSA 1864 - #16760-D (T-64)                      50 cents State of Georgia 1863 - #38388-A
$100 State of Louisiana 1863 - #2650-K                   75 cents State of N. Carolina 1863 -#15
$5 State of Texas 1862 - #112586 - 82                    10 cents Bank of Tennessee 1861 - NONE
$2 Bank of Chattanooga 1863 - NONE                     10 cents City of Richmond 1862 - ?
$1 State of Florida 1863 - #2396                             25 cents State of Alabama 1863 - 4967-N
$100 State of Alabama 1864 - 834-F                        25 cent Bank of the State of S. Carolina 1863- None
25 cent State of Florida 1863 - None
(I also have these other notes that may be part of another set:)

$4 Bank of Florida 1864 - #542-A
$5 Bank of St. Johns 1859 #667-A
$3 Republic of Texas 1841 - #2077-A

                               (Remember, if its parchment paper it’s not real.)

WHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY (1959)*
$1 CSA Feb 17, 1864 - #82129-B (T-71)                        $20 CSA Feb 17, 1864 - #46410-G (T-67)
$5 CSA Feb 17, 1864 - #18262-D   (T-69)                       $50 CSA Feb 17, 1864 - #70104-A (T-66)
$10 CSA Feb 17, 1864 - #40674-D   (T-68)                      $100 CSA Nov 20, 1862 - #65798-Z (T-41)

TOPPS CHEWING GUM COMPANY (1962) - A&BC CHEWING GUM LTD. ENGLAND (1964)*
$1 CSA 1862 - #355   (T-44) *       $5 CSA 1861 - #24497 (T-34)*         $20 CSA 1861 - None (T-18)*
$1 CSA 1864 - #3691 (T-71) *       $10 CSA 1861 - #77389 (T-28)*         $50 CSA 1861 - #31351 (T-14)*
$2 CSA 1862 - #2473 (T-42) *       $10 CSA 1864 - #45956 (T-68)*         $50 CSA 1864 - #59204 (T-66)*
$2 CSA 1864 - #4505 (T-70)*       $20 CSA 1861 - #131720 (T-20)*       $100 CSA 1864 - #801 (T-65)*
$5 CSA 1861 - #4763 (T-37)          $20 CSA 1864 - #1372 (T-51)            $500 CSA 1864 - #3546 (T-64)*
$5 CSA 1861 - #138590 (T-36)*    $1000 CSA 1861 - #176-A (T-1)*
                            (These note may appear to be larger than they really are)

CHEERIOS REPRINTS (1954)
$1 CSA 1864 - #82283-D (T-71)   $10 CSA 1864 - #83185-H (T-68)     $100 CSA 1864 - #92685-C (T-65)
$2 CSA 1864 - #32098-D (T-70)   $20 CSA 1864 - #13410-B (T-67)     $500 CSA 1864 - #9229-A (T64)
$5 CSA 1864 - #1138-H (T-69)      $50 CSA 1864 - #77114-A (T-66)     $1000 CSA 1861 - #176-A (T-1)
                           (Look for "REPRINTED IN U.S.A. 1954" on back, right, lower margin)

NEW CSA FACSIMILES - Also sold in packets.(PINK)
50 cts CSA 1864 - #85999-F (T-72) $5 CSA 1864 - #22147-A ?(T-69)    $50 CSA 1864 - #14949-A (T-66)
$1 CSA 1864 - #42507-A (T-71)       $10 CSA 1864 - #31680-A (T-68) $100 CSA 1864 - #20396-G (T-65)
$2 CSA 1864 - #48840-A (T-70)     $20 CSA 1864 - #2626-C (T-67)    $500 CSA 1864 - #26949-D (T-64)

NEW SOUTHERN STATE S FACSIMILES - Also sold in packets.
50 cents Alabama 1863 - #58192-G                     $3 State of N. Carolina 1863 - #984
$10 State of Arkansas 1862 - #102165-383-D      $50 Farmers & Exchange Bank (SC) 1859 - #63
25 cents State of Florida 1863 - NONE                $2 Bank of Chattanooga (Tenn.) 1863 - NONE -A
$100 State of Georgia 1863 - #13749                   $1 Texas Treasury Warrant 1862 - #12713 - 22
$5 State of Louisiana 1862 - #2249                      $100 Virginia Treasury Note 1862 - #480
$20 State of Mississippi 1862 - #5097

OTHER COMMON NOTES
$5 CSA 1864 - #50243 (T-69)
$20 CSA 1861 - #15241 (T-20 with man's picture superimposed where Alexander Stephens picture should be)
$100 CSA 1863 - #933 (T-56)
$500 CSA 1864 - #18278 (T-64)
$100,000 CSA 1864 - #4373 (Created from a $100 T65)
                                                         ( *These dates of first printing may not be correct)

The list goes on. It could fill volumes. I'm not an expert, just a collector who tries to keep up with the facsimiles I see. I have no idea where many of the notes in my collection may have originated, how old they are, or how many are out there. Perhaps you can enlighten me. What I have listed here are some of the most common notes. If you have any questions or comments feel free to Email me.

Buy The E-Book

Modern Reproductions of
Confederate Currency

$12.00 Dlvd.

Ronnie Remonda
201 NW Buena Vista Road
Dunnellon, FL 34431

You might find the following links helpful:

American Numismatic Association - ANA - Replicas of Obsolete Notes.
Collectors Org. - Hobby Protection Act. http://collectors.org/Library/Hobby_Protection_Act.asp
Crutchfield's Currency - http://www.crutchwilliams.com
Beyond Face Value - http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/BeyondFaceValue/index.htm
CSA Collectors Page - http://www.csacurrency.com/
The Flag Guys - http://www.flagguys.com/money.html
Historical Document Co. - http://www.histdocs.com/

Thanks for visiting these pages. I hope you found it helpful.

Ronnie Remonda

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