0 Confederate States Coupon Bond – Cr. 123, B. 165

Description

Offered for your consideration is a 0 coupon bond issued by the Confederate States of America under the Act of February 20, 1863. It was catalogued by the late Grover Criswell as Cr. 123 and by the late Dr. Douglas Ball as B. 165. The central vignette features a portrait of Alexander H. Stephens, the vice-president of the Confederacy, presented in an oval frame and flanked by decorative designs and medallions bearing the denomination. Printed immediately above, in an arc, is
“THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA LOAN”
, as well as the date that the act was authorized. Below the vignette is a lengthy financial obligation, executed in a lovely italic script, which states that
“… This Contract is Authorized by an Act of Congress … Entitled An Act to authorize the issue of Bonds for funding Treasury Notes … and is upon the Express condition that said Confederate States may from time to time extend the time of payment for any period …”
. It was signed and sealed
“… at RICHMOND, this 2d day of March 1863 …”
by
“C A Rose”
in his capacity as an assistant
“
for
Register of the Treasury”
. A rectangular box appears vertically to the left of the obligation, with the denomination boldly presented within. The denomination, presented numerically, appears atop the obligation. All of the foregoing material is enclosed in a double lined decorative border, neatly separating it from the remaining 7 interest coupons. Each coupon is valued at
“FOUR DOLLARS”
and is hand signed by
“A Gilliam”
, a female employee of the Confederate Treasury. In common with most government bonds of this era, the reverse of this piece is blank. Confederate fiscal records indicate that approximately 10,000 bonds of this type were originally issued, though how many have survived the intervening 150+ years is unknown. This bond would make a great addition to any Civil War collection, or an attractive display for a den or office.
Alexander Hamilton Stephens was born on February 11, 1812 in Crawfordsville, Georgia. He served in the Georgia legislature from 1836 until 1840, and again in 1842, after which he served in the U. S. house of Representatives from 1843 through 1859. In February, 1861, the provisional Confederate Congress elected him vice-president, a position he would hold for the entire war. At the close of the conflict, Stephens was captured and imprisoned for six months, after which he returned to Georgia, re-entered politics, and purchased a newspaper. He again served in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1873 through 1882, and was governor of Georgia from 1882 until his death in 1883.
Charles A. Rose served as one of two assistant registers, the other being E. Apperson. Little is known of him except that he was 53 years old when he was appointed in 1863 and was a Richmond notary public. He had worked for the treasury department earlier, with his initials (CAR) appearing on numerous bonds. Following his appointment, Rose remained as an assistant register until the close of the war.
The presently offered bond exhibits light overall toning, imparting an off-white to beige tint to the entire surface. Minor paper wrinkling can be seen at the edges, though this is not extensive and could easily be hidden if the bond was matted and framed.
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), one of which has led to a minor edge tear partly down the left side (this has been repaired with archival tape and would be covered by the mat if the piece was framed). The contrast is average for the issue, with all of the printed and manuscript material being fully defined and legible. Several pencil notations appear on the otherwise blank verso, with an additional one present at the upper right on the front.
This historic and popular issue measures approximately 15 x 15 inches and would look great framed with a Criswell T-20, T-58 or T-67, all of which bear the same portrait of Stephens that appears on the bond.
A charge of .95 will be added for postage and insurance.
If you have any questions, 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.