US 10 Cent Bill from 1863, "Fractional Currency" issued by Columbian Bank Note Co

A little piece of history.. the Civil War era to be exact. I figured I'd share with my ATS friends, some of whom will likely appreciate this - History is full of gems like this. Let's peep it:

This 10 cent bill is dated March 34rd 1863. These types of notes are known as "fractional currency", and were issued after the Civil War broke out between 1862 and 1875.



How much can 10 cents buy you today? People don't even take their change if it's less than 25 cents a lot of the time. But back in 1863, 10 cents actually meant something. They say the US dollar has lost something like 96% of its value since the inception of the Federal Reserve. This private organization has devalued our currency slowly but gradually.

Back to the note...



It reads "Columbian Bank Note Co" at the bottom - how cool is that?



For more information on fractional currency, check out this Krause Publications article on these fascinating pieces of history: numismaster.com...

a reply to: FamCore

That's a remarkable find there, a ten cent bill that's a rare find as well. Very good find!

a reply to: PeterSellers

I just hope I don't get fined once the IRS finds out I have 10 cents I never claimed on my taxes last year Mwah. ha. haaaa.

a reply to: FamCore

Pretty cool.

I still have all the old Canadian bills, 1 of each. They are only about 20 years old, so not nearly as old as this but still very nostalgic looking at them as they are very rare now. Maybe down the road they'll be worth more than their actual value, maybe they already are, I don't even know.

Don't think I'll ever sell them though, they are pretty cool collectors items. We even had a 2 dollar bill, such an odd number, and now we have a toonie (2 dollar coin), must be a Canadian thing.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: PeterSellers

I just hope I don't get fined once the IRS finds out I have 10 cents I never claimed on my taxes last year

Mwah. ha. haaaa.

Oh this is yours then? My god what a keeper this one is. Have you had it appraised or looked at by anyone?
Mr tax man needn't know about this

a reply to: PeterSellers

I haven't had it appraised, but it likely wouldn't affect my fondness of it - I value history too much to see something like this go in exchange for modern bills which there is no shortage of ~ I looked it up online and it looks like you can purchase these yourself for just a few dollars (although they may be replicas or in very poor condition). This particular one isn't in great shape either, but you can still read it and it's age and historical value alone are what I love about it.

I'm glad you liked it! I have many other cool items, maybe I'll start doing more posts about them. Thanks for the comments Mr. Sellers - there will be more to come in the future

a reply to: FamCore

I'm looking forward to seeing more of what else you have, it's a remarkable thing that you have this let alone other treasures you have. Historical value in items such as this bill, is a gem in itself. I used to watch the English road show, it's not far off from the American version, it's also a past time of mine.