Shortly after the Civil War broke out, the Confederate Government issued its own currency to the Southern States. The money was backed by Hay Bails and with the scarcity of metals, coins were never issued in the confederate states. There are approximately 70 different confederate notes that were printed from 1861-1864. At the beginning of the war a $1 note would be worth close to $1 worth of gold. Towards then end of the war, it took close to $500 confederate currency to equal $1 worth of gold. The Confederate States recognized this type of inflation, and most of the residents eventually turned their back on the currency leaving the currency “worthless”. Ironically, now the currency is far from worthless. It is a small glimpse into our countries past. The Confederate notes are beautifully designed. Pictures of mythological Greek gods and goddesses appear on many notes, sometimes as a central design, and sometimes as an ornamentation. Images of slaves, ships, railroad trains, animals, state capitols, and, of course, ''real people' such as George Washington and 'Stonewall' Jackson, were also used.
Counterfeiting was a real problem of course. In my opinion the smartest move Abraham Lincoln ever had was when he ordered to counterfeit the Confederate Currency and flood the market with worthless money. This one move could of possibly ended the war all by itself. Subsequently, we find Counterfeited Confederate money from time to time. These notes are easily identifiable by their serial numbers. Interestingly enough, there is a collector’s market for these counterfeit bills. Of course, they are still 150 year old pieces of history.
We are selling some of our Confederate Notes that we have collected in the past. We hope you enjoy these notes as much or more than we have. They truly are, a piece of American History.