Colonial Virginia Currency Six Dollars

1777
Not on view
An emission of $1,000,000 in legal tender treasury bills redeemable in Spanish milled dollars on December 1, 1784. This issue has engraved border cuts with the recently revised Virginia state arms on the front showing Liberty as a soldier trampling a foe with the motto "Sic semper tyrannis" (So always to tyrants). In the motto there is a misspelling, or more correctly the use of the wrong Latin case ending of "tyrannus" for tyrannis. In the date section the month, day, and the final numeral of the year were added by hand.There was one signer on denominations of a dollar and below and two signers on higher. Denominations issued were: $ 1/6, $ 1/3, $ 2/3, $1, $4, $5, $6, $8, $10 and $15.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Colonial Virginia Currency Six Dollars
  • Artist: Anonymous, American, 18th century
  • Date: 1777
  • Medium: Engraving and letterpress
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 3 3/4 × 2 11/16 in. (9.5 × 6.9 cm)
  • Classifications: Prints, Ephemera
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Charles Allen Munn, 1924
  • Object Number: 24.90.1560
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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