Confederate Currency Collection

Confederate Currency Collection, 1861-1864

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Confederate States of America
Title: Confederate Currency Collection
Dates: 1861-1864 (inclusive)
18611864
Quantity: 0.25 cubic feet, (1 folder and 1 oversize framed item)
Collection Number: MS.72
Summary: The collection consists of 50 currency notes issued by the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
Repository: Pacific University, Archives
Pacific University Archives
2043 College Way
Forest Grove, OR
97116
Telephone: 5033521400
archives@pacificu.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Sponsored by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission

Historical NoteReturn to Top

During the Civil War, the Confederate States of America issued their own currency notes. These circulated like cash, but were technically bills of credit. At the beginning of the war, they circulated widely, but by the end of the war they had lost nearly all their value. Many of the bills remained in private hands after the war and became collectible as memorabilia. Other bills, which the Union Army had confiscated, were in the hands of the United States War Department; it transferred them to the Treasury Department in 1867. In 1912, the Treasury Department disbursed many of these bills to cultural institutions around the country, in the interest of public education.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of two parts:

Part one: 21 loose currency notes, which were issued by the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. They are dated 1861-1864. Various denominations are present, ranging from $0.50 to $100. Some of the bills are clipped, probably in order to cancel them. The bills are accompanied by a letter from the United States Treasury Department, dated 1912, explaining that the notes were confiscated by the Union Army at the end of the war, and were sent to Pacific University as specimens for "historical purposes."

Part two: Framed collection of 29 currency notes, mounted on a board. The notes ranging in value from to $0.10 to $1000. Most were issued by the Confederate States of America; several were issued by individual states such as Alabama and Georgia.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Confederate Currency Collection, Pacific University Archives, Forest Grove, Oregon.

Restrictions on Use

Pacific University owns the copyright to some, but not all, of the materials housed in its archives. Copyright for materials authored or otherwise produced as official business of Pacific University is retained by Pacific University and requires its permission for publication. Copyright status for other collection materials varies. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Collection

Housed in MS File Box 2.

Future Additions

No accruals are expected.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Paper money--Confederate States of America
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Corporate Names

Confederate States of America

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Bill, Byrd (donor)

Archives West Finding Aid

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