Faced with severe hoarding of coinage during the Civil War, the Federal government was forced to issue small change paper money, known as "Fractional Currency" to alleviate the situation. Several different series of notes were issued between 1862 and 1876, all in denominations less than one dollar.
From the first issue of Postage Currency, so named because of the postage stamp designs, to the odd 3 Cent note (issued because the cost to mail a letter was 3c) and the unusual 15 Cent note, Fractional Currency is a fascinating and affordable way to collect early U.S. paper money. This field has enjoyed great popularity in recent years and continues to amaze generations of collectors.
Plain Edges. With Monogram. A bright note with a fresh appearance and well centered on both sides.
Fiber paper with surcharges '18-63 & T-1'. A bright and fresh appearance. Very scarce and desirable.
Green Reverse. Rich color, bright paper, and great borders provide excellent eye appeal.
Unwatermarked. 40mm Seal. Well centered and solid for the grade.
Unwatermarked. Pink Fibers. Light even wear and solid for the grade. The 'key' variety in the type.
Wide Margins Specimen. Green Back. Hints of guide line can still be seen on a lovely specimen note that exhibits vivid color and bright premium paper.
Short, Thick Key. Great centering and excellent eye appeal highlight this final Twenty Five Cent fractional.
Straight Edges. With ABNCo. Monogram. Bright and fresh.
Perforated Edges. With Monogram. Comment: Previously mounted. Strong color and bright paper. The previous mounting is very minor.
F-1313spwmf and F-1313spnmb pair. Specimen. Wide Margins. Both examples with the same assigned grades that are close to evenly matched. The reverse example is obviously a wide margin specimen, not a narrow margins as designated, and exhibits partial guidelines on all 4 sides. Both pieces provide strong eye appeal.
Surcharge "1863" and "0-1". Fiber Paper. A scarce variety with nice bronzing.
Vivid color and fresh white paper. Quite attractive.
Green Reverse. No Surcharge. No Design Figures. Well margined on both sides. Vivid color and rich bronzing blend nicely with bright paper.
Type-II Green Reverse. Without Design Figures. Excellent color rests upon bright original paper. The margins are wide for the type and show a partial plate number in the lower left corner.
A popular Lincoln issue that exhibits strong color and nearly new paper.
Portrait of Lincoln. A beautiful example of a highly popular issue. The color is vivid and rests upon premium white paper. Margins are wide and centering is seldom seen this nice for the type. Great eye appeal.