EARLY PAPER MONEY OF AMERICA ON NNP

Early Paper Money of America on Newman Numismatic Portal

Eric P. Newman published five editions Early Paper Money of America, the standard reference for colonial paper money, from 1967 to 2008. The NNP Edition of this work is now available on Newman Portal, and combines Newman's fifth edition text with thousands of colonial paper money examples from the Newman collection. The web format allows for new features, such as hyperlinks in the Continental Currency section that link to the Journals of the Continental Congress and the legislation corresponding to each issue. Additionally, the sheer volume of images presented here would not be viable in a print format, as earlier editions contained representative images only.

The May 10, 1775 $20 illustrated here is one of the most iconic in the colonial paper money series. The marble edge was designed by Benjamin Franklin as an anti-counterfeiting measure, and the burst of color is immediately arresting. Franklin was further responsible for the emblems and mottos, chosen to inspire the colonists in the fight against Britain. The May 10, 1775 issue represented the inaugural printing of Continental Currency, and, while its ending is economically ignominious, the paper did what it had to do during the war and sufficiently greased the wheels of commerce.

Newman Portal intends to maintain Early Paper Money of America as a living document and invites edits and additional content from interested researchers and collectors.

Image: May 10, 1775 Continental Currency $20 note, CC-9, marbled border. From Newman VIII (Heritage Auctions, 11/2017), lot 28170, realized $26,400.

Link to Early Paper Money of America on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/imagecollection/513468

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