Looking For Some Opinions On Some Confederate Notes

I'll make sure to attend the lot viewing. Any tips on what to look for. These photos are all I have to go on currently.

The feel is the best way of telling authenticity....imo.

Loupe the signatures to confirm they are handwritten...

Look real from the pictures..

I hope you get them for a good price and they are authentic. This is an area of collecting I have yet to break in to, it seems fraught with dangers at every turn and I am not comfortable plunging in quite yet. Those look like a nice set though ^^

Well that was an interesting experience. I arrived at the auction with plenty of time to preview the lots.

The $20 was a Sept. 2, 1861 series note. The serial # was completely faded away and the signatures were very weak. Condition was very poor with several barely visible slits/cuts in the body of the note in addition to several pinholes. I didn't see anything to make me doubt its authenticity since its signatures were faded brown ink and the edges were cut rather crudely like they should be with Confederate Currency. It ended up selling for $80 plus a 15% buyers premium which I thought was extremely high considering the damage. I didn't want this note at any cost.

The $10 was a Feb, 1863 series. It had bold serial #'s and signatures and was in fairly nice condition with the exception of a tear at the top of the note. I didn't see anything to make me doubt its authenticity, the paper, ink, color, and the quality of the vignettes looked correct compared to examples I looked at online. It sold for $45 plus a 15% buyers premium. I didn't even bid since I saw comparable examples on ebay in the $20-25 range.

The $5 was a Feb, 1863 series as well. The serial numbers and signatures were a bit faded but the note was in decent condition with no visible tears or other defects. nice condition with the exception of a tear at the top of the note. I didn't see anything to make me doubt its authenticity, the paper, ink, color, and the quality of the vignettes looked correct compared to examples I looked at online. It sold for $55 plus a 15% buyers premium. I bid it up to $30 but dropped out when a new bidder jumped in. I believe comparable examples on ebay were in the $25 range.

Well I think these results bode well for the hobby. Countless bidders were examining these notes all night long including several younger people in their twenties. There were some other junky notes and coins that all brought far more than they should have realized.

Notes in the 20-25 range are usually beat on ebay. Sounds to me they sold for about what they are worth (If they're indeed real). I am actually skeptical of the $5 1863.. These notes from 1863 had the date stamped in red ink vertically. The cuts/slits you saw were most likely the early cross cut cancellations.

Better luck next time, it's always nice to find notes for much cheaper then they are valued at.