Home
Colonial American Banknotes
Connecticut
Delaware
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts-Bay
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island and Providence
Virginia
Continentals
Beauties on Banknotes
Links

Colonial American Banknotes ~ Virginia

In contrast to the other colonies which emitted substantial issues of paper money during the colonial era, Virginia was late to emit paper money and then only in small volumes. The first issues were authorised in 1755 and were issued to fund the expedition against the French forces during the French and Indian War. Notes were issued in small series until 1771 when counterfeits began appearing and the legislature authorised using blank "James River Bank" forms for an issue beginning in 1773. Subsequently they contracted Henry Ashby of London to create new copper plates for a later 1773 issue. With the growing necessity for currency in the opening days of the American Revolution the government in Virginia sought to issue more currency, but the previous notes printed by Henry Asbhy and the James River Bank forms were not sufficient and paper with heavy rag content and blue fibres was optained for a locally printed issue.

This note for a half crown, 2/6, or thirty pence was also the equivalent of four Spanish reales

Evidently the need for notes was great enough that urgency necessitated only printing one side - given that the notes would shortly thereafter become worthless it didn't seem to matter as an anti-counterfeiting measure.

Top of page