United States Confederate Currency

In the April of 1861, two months after the formation of the United States Confederacy, the Confederate States of America Dollar was released into circulation.

The banknotes came in many different designs and were released in $1/10, $1/2, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1000 amounts. The bills were printed from 1861 to 1865, totaling $1.7 billion. There were 72 different types of notes printed in seven series during this time.

In the beginning, the Confederate money was admitted in the South as valuable, but as the war continued, more paper money was printed and the dates on which it able to be redeemed kept getting longer into the future. Inflation went through the roof and the money’s value kept going down. It got so bad that by the end of the Civil War, the money was almost worthless.

Due to the few amount of proficient printers, engravers, and safe places to print in the South, the designs of the early Confederate currency were not correlated to each other very well. Some of the notes had pictures of greek gods and goddesses while other more southern themes showed African-American serfs, state capitols and ships, and people of historical importance, like “Stonewall” Jackson or George Washington. Other people who were pictured on later Confederate States of America money were Alexander Stephens, George Randolph, Jefferson Davis, and Lucy Pickens.

Because of banks and states being able to print their own notes and the many different variations of notes counterfeiting of Confederate currency was very common. These counterfeits were worthless at the time but now they are valuable and can be worth as much as official Confederate States of America paper money.

To prevent counterfeiting, most of the Confederate bills were hand signed by Register Robert Tyler and Treasurer Edward C. Elmore. This did not go on for long as it was impossible for both men to sign each and every note printed at the time. Instead, women were hired to sign for the Register and for the Treasurer and over time both Tyler and Elmore hired 200 women to sign the bills for them.
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Fake United States Paper Currency Denominations

Fake United States Paper Currency Denominations have been used as both jokes and as a real attempt of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting was common back in the 1800s until the National Banking Act in 1863 was passed. This is because until then banks were allowed to print their own currency so there were no questions asked if a bill was legitimate or not.

The $3 bill has been released more as a practical joke to poke fun at celebrities like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Micheal Jackson, and Richard Nixon. There is a saying that goes with this, “Queer as a three dollar bill.”

There was a $22 bill made by Lawrence Wagner (a.k.a. Love 22) who was a U.S. Presidential Candidate. He printed the bill because being a numerologist he believed that the number 22 was very important. The Federal Government indicted him for the crime of counterfeiting, but he was let go because technically you can not counterfeit something that doesn’t exist.

In 2001 and 2003 there were two occasions where a $200 bill was used to pay for items. The one bill had a picture of President George W. Bush on the front of it.

A $1,000,000 bill does not exist now and has never existed, so the U.S. Federal Reserve allows it to be printed as a novelty. There have been times when someone has tried to deposit the bill into a bank account or use it for puchasing something.

Ray Comfort, a Christian evangelist, has a ministry called Living Waters Publications which produces fake $1,000,000 bills and fake $1,000,000,000 bills. The $1,000,000 has Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th U.S. President, on the front of it and the $1,000,000,000 pictures the 19th British evangelist Charles Spurgeon. Both notes have gospel messages on the back of them.

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The United States $20 Bill

The United States $20 Bill is currently one of the largest denominations of U.S. Paper Money. It is also the most common of all high denomination notes used by Americans everyday.This is because ATMs primarily dispense it and it is also mostly used for withdrawals and check cashing. The seventh President of United States, Andrew Jackson, is featured on the obverse side of the bill, while on the reverse side of the bill shows a picture of the White House. Because Andrew Jackson is on the $20 bill, it is often referred to as a “Jackson”. About 22% of all U.S. paper money currently printed are $20 bills and according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing the life span of a $20 bill in circulation is 25 months before is replaced from being too worn out.

In 1861, the $20 bill was released as a Large-Sized Demand Note; on the obverse was Lady Liberty with a sword and shield, and the reverse printed in green ink, is a general design, nothing special. In 1862, a very similar $20 United States Note was released with a different reverse design. The first $20 Gold Certificate was released in 1863 and had a picture of an eagle on the front and an orange back with a $20 gold coin; the $20 Gold Certificate was redesigned in 1882 with a picture of James Garfield on the obverse and the reverse was orange with an eagle on it. The $20 United States Note was redesigned in 1869; it had Andrew Jackson and the Roman goddess of victory, Victoria, holding a sword and shield, on the front of it and it had a green back design. Stephen Decatur was featured on front of the first $20 Silver Certificate, which had a black back design; the $20 Silver Certificate was released in 1886 with Daniel Manning on the front. Again, in 1905, the Gold Certificate was redesigned with George Washington on the front with an orange reverse side. The first $20 Federal Reserve Note started being issued in 1914; had both twenty-second and twenty-fourth U.S. President, Grover Cleveland, on the obverse and a steamship and steam locomotive on the reverse.

In 1928, the $20 Federal Reserve Note was changed to its smaller, current size. It was redeemable in both gold and silver. Andrew Jackson was on the front and the White House was on the back. During World War II, the$20 Federal Reserve Note was designed special to circulate on the Hawaiian Islands in case an enemy seized it, then it could claimed as worthless. The $20 Federal Reserve Note had HAWAII printed on the front and back of it and it had brown serial numbers. Over the years, the $20 bill was edited in small ways, with an updated White House picture and new treasury seal, but overall it kept the same design. Starting in the 1990′s new security features were added, like microprinting, a watermark, and color-shifting ink, to prevent counterfeiting.

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