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 Replies: 31 / Views: 7,034 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
822 Posts |
There are so many different types of government bonds, from municipal bonds (probably the most common) to state and federal issues. These deserve a topic, I think, so let's start one. Here's a curiosity to kick things off. This is a U.S. Treasury bond, of sorts, printed around 1869. But actually, it isn't. I'll give you more to the story, but let's see if anyone can figure it out first.    |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12477 Posts |
I assume the "rest of the story" involves those triangular punches or marks.  I know nothing of these.  In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020
In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020
In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
Edited by spru
12/05/2019 04:17 am
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Moderator
 United States
187446 Posts |
Very nice!  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
822 Posts |
Quote:
I assume the "rest of the story" involves those triangular punches or marks. An astute observation -- yes, you are correct. This is a page from the "American Bond Detector" released in 1869 by Laban Heath. Many collectors are familiar with Heath's series of counterfeit detectors for banknotes -- this large book was intended to identify counterfeit U.S. Treasury bonds. The dark triangles were a method of obscuring parts of the engraved plates so they couldn't be used for counterfeiting themselves (the Treasury produced them specifically for Heath's book). Unfortunately, Heath had a great deal of trouble in getting the bond plates printed in adequate quality. This pushed back the publication date by nearly a year and eventually led to an unsuccessful lawsuit; he probably lost money on the book. No other edition of the American Bond Detector was ever printed and Heath focused on the smaller bank note detectors from then on. The bond book only shows up in occasional auctions and typically brings $3,000 to $5,000. A digital version can be viewed online at https://archive.org/stream/american...n95/mode/2up. This is one of the few ways collectors can obtain examples of these early bonds, many of which are non-existent outside of institutional specimens. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
822 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
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Now let's swing to the opposite end of the spectrum of government bonds. Here are a few of my favorite municipal bonds, issued for various purposes. Nice examples! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
822 Posts |
Edited by GregAlex
12/10/2019 7:35 pm
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
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And some state government bonds... Very nice! Quote:
Note the last one is a "Mental Hygiene Improvement" bond - I wonder what that one was for. Interesting. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
822 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
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A real beauty arrived today! This is an 1866 Bounty Bond from the State of New York. Excellent example! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5029 Posts |
Fantastic examples greg! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
822 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
Very nice! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
742 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
742 Posts |
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Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
Nice examples! |
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Replies: 31 / Views: 7,034 |
Posted 12/05/2019 12:19 pm
