0 Confederate States Coupon Bond – Criswell 128, Ball 260

Description

0 Confederate States Coupon Bond – Criswell 128, Ball 260
Offered for your consideration is a 0 bond issued by the Confederate States of America under the Act of March 23, 1863. It was cataloged by the late Grover Criswell as Cr. 128 and by the late Dr. Douglas Ball as B. 260. The central vignette features a street view of the old United States Customs House in Richmond, at that time serving as executive offices (among them the treasury department) for the Confederacy. Printed immediately above is
“Confederate STATES OF AMERICA”,
while below is
“LOAN AUTHORIZED BY Act of Congress, C.S.A. OF MARCH 23d, 1863”
. Below this is a lengthy financial obligation, executed in a lovely italic script. According to this obligation, “
On the first day of April 1893, The Confederate States of America, will pay to the Bearer of this Bond … the sum of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, with interest thereon from date, at the rate of Six per cent, per annum …
”
. It further states that
“… This contract is authorized by an act of Congress … Entitled, ‘An Act to provide for the funding and further issue of Treasury Notes …”.
It was signed and sealed at
“… Richmond, this first day of April 1863 …”
by
“C A Rose”
in his capacity as an assistant
“
for
Register of the Treasury”
. This bond was
“Engd by Geo. Dunn & Co. Richmond, Va”
, as noted by their imprint at the lower left. An ornate, decorative border encloses the foregoing elements, neatly separating them from the 7 remaining interest coupons. Each coupon is valued at
“THREE DOLLARS”
and is hand-signed by
“
V Johnson
”
(Miss V. Johnson)
, a female employee in the Confederate Treasury. In common with most government bonds of this era, the reverse of this piece is blank. Confederate financial records indicate that 2968 bonds of this type were originally issued, though how many have been destroyed through the intervening 150+ years is unknown. The presently offered specimen would be a great addition to any Confederate currency or general Civil War collection.
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 signs of period use and long-term storage, though it retains much of its original eye-appeal. Light, even toning is present across the entire surface, imparting to the paper a beige to ton appearance, slightly darker at the edges. Several small foxing spots are scattered throughout the bond, though there are less present than many other examples of this type of bond (this is due to the quality of the paper used in production). Minor wrinkling is noted at the edges, though none of the usual storage folds are present (this is very unusual, especially for an issued bond, as these were normally folded and placed in safes or the cubbyholes of desks). The contrast regarding the printed material is above average for the issue, while the manuscript additions are less well defined.
The Criswell number is written in pencil at the upper right, and though the back was originally blank, it now bears the number “93” in a black stamp. Measuring approximately 13½ x 13¾ inches, this piece would look fantastic if framed with a period illustration of the same building or a Confederate .00 and .00 to represent the interest coupons. Very unusual to be found with no folds.
A charge of .95 for postage and insurance will be added to the sale.
If you have any questions concerning this item, 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.
American Coins and Collectibles
Shreveport, LA