Virginia Currency – Six Spanish Milled Dollars

Anonymous, American, 18th century American

May 5, 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

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Virginia Currency – Six Spanish Milled Dollars
Artist: Anonymous, American, 18th century
Date: May 5, 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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