I Found My 50 Cent Bill From 1863 - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 13,636
tripncoins Pillar of the Community United States 648 Posts	Posted 03/07/2011 6:31 pm I've rekindled my interest for collecting coins and joined this forum a couple of weeks ago. I was digging through my coin collection when I was a kid and came across this bill that I bought @ a Coin show over 20 years ago. I remember when I was a kid the dealer told me to remember this was Act March 3rd 1863 which is on the front. I believe this means this is the 3rd series. I also remember when asking about the "holes" in the bill, the dealer said back then they had a simple straight pin to hold their bills together, hence that is why there is a pin hole mark on the middle and to the far side of the note. At the time, it sounded believable. Can anyone tell me their thoughts on this condition, history, & fair market value? I have zero plans on selling it & I've seen ebay etc - I am more interested to know what the Coin Community members think of this particular fractional note. Thank you Report this Post to the Staff

Uhhhh Valued Member United States 117 Posts	Posted 03/07/2011 7:23 pm Cool note. I wonder how much that fifty cents could've bought back then. to the forum! Report this Post to the Staff
Meldude Valued Member Canada 162 Posts	Posted 03/07/2011 10:27 pm That is a nice note! Welcome! Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21788 Posts	Posted 03/08/2011 08:57 am I love these old fractional notes, and for me they cost less to obtain than what I originally thought. The quality of these notes is better than the Confederate issues. Report this Post to the Staff
biggfredd Rest in Peace United States 9104 Posts	Posted 03/08/2011 2:23 pm Quote: Cool note. I wonder how much that fifty cents could've bought back then. $8.61 of today's worthless money http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ Report this Post to the Staff
Lion4Life Valued Member United States 370 Posts	Posted 03/08/2011 8:41 pm That is pretty cool, never seen one of those before. Report this Post to the Staff
DLPerrapato New Member United States 12 Posts	Posted 03/09/2011 2:18 pm Hello, Fractional notes are very interesting in our history of paper money... they were introduced by an Act in 1862 and continued until early 1876. This all came about do to the shortage of coins during this time as the war between the states was progressing. They were 5 different issues, the first being postage currency in 4 denominations 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent both in straight edge and perforated. Fractional currency became the common name and were reissued 4 different times adding 3 and 15 cent denominations along the way. The Lincoln note you have is from the 4th issue and is one of the most popular of all the notes. It is true that all forms of fractional currency were stored and kept with pins on strings, being quite small and easy to lose this was an easy way for store keepers and people alike to keep track of them. The term "pin money" comes from this. Though it is quite common to see the notes with these small pin holes, the notes gain value without them. The condition of your note would grade "fine", and value would be anywhere from $75-$100. An uncirculated Lincoln brings up to $1000. Fractional notes are an excellent buy in today's market and are very much undervalued in comparison to coins. I am always looking to add to my collection and have been doing so for over 20 years now. I highly recommend the book by Robert J. Kravitz, "A Collectors Guide to Postage and Fractional Currency", he is one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject and has the best insight on these fascinating notes. I hope this helps a little as I can get a bit involved when it comes to this stuff. Welcome and good luck Report this Post to the Staff
tripncoins Pillar of the Community United States 648 Posts	Posted 03/09/2011 5:35 pm Thank you for your detailed post and everyone else's. I paid $10 dollars for this bill 20 years ago. (It was all my dad gave me to spend @ the coin show at a tender age of 12). I'm glad I listened to the dealer and kept it - never sold it. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 13,636

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