Postage Currency Set Completed!

Yes, I know - this is really a paper money topic. But I thought a few philatelists might also enjoy seeing some of our more obscure U.S. currency.

Postage currency was issued in 1862 in response to the severe shortage of coinage during the Civil War, when pocket change was hoarded for its base metal value. Merchants were already turning to stamps as an alternative, so the Treasury Department issued stamp-like fractional currency to meet the need. Later fractional currency issues did not have simulated stamps.

I picked up three of these pieces some years back as part of a lot in a stamp auction. Last week I finally found the 25¢ note for a reasonable price on ebay. There are a number of varieties, but I was just looking for a type set - and now I have one!

It'e very nice to see all these together.

I've had a battered copy of the 50c since I was a child but I've not seen the others before.

very cool! thank you for posting

Very nice! Now get started on the perforated versions.

Beautiful set. Well done!

Congratulations! Now, you just need another set to show off the other side when they are mounted

A very nice set.

These items are much harder to acquire now than in years gone past.




Actually, there are clear stock sheets for currency.

With these postage currency notes, the varieties with and without "ABCo." on the back be easily seen.

Also shown below is a rarely-seen contemporaneous counterfeit.

Jim

I saw an example of the ten cent counterfeit about a year ago.

If it was for sale, do you remember the asking price, by chance?

Jim

It was part of a large lot. I tried to get it individually but could not do so.

Great post, James! I like those perfed varieties but they aren't in my budget.

Hi Greg,

Once you get "bitten by the bug" with collecting postage currency, it's a slippery slope to then move on to fractional currency.

Some of these notes are just amazing miniature works of art.



While others, not so much.





Then it's just a matter of time before you get into things like this:



Jim

And then there's encased postage, for those with pockets deeper than mine. Anything like that in your collection, James? ;-)

Nah, gotta draw the line somewhere.

Plus those things don't fit in stock pages. Too bulky.

Jim