Home U.S. & World Currency Forum

Help identifying $2 note (scrip?)

Despite working for ANACS coin grading and attending shows on their behalf, I'm actually an ephemera collector. There's a dealer who attends Texas shows that always has an interesting hodgepodge of paper items, and if something looks interesting to me I buy it. I acquired this from him at the Houston Coin Show yesterday. It measures 4.75" X 1.75" and is printed on only one side. The paper is very thin, almost like tissue paper. I showed it to a couple of dealer friends there who handle currency and it was suggested this is scrip of some kind. Looking in eBay, it looks like there were a lot of Marine Banks, and I couldn't find anything similar there or via an internet search. Does anyone know what this is, where it came from, and when it was made? Thanks in advance for your help!


You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.

Comments

  • Steve_in_TampaSteve_in_Tampa Posts: 1,953 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That’s pretty cool. Maybe @lettow will see your post and have some ideas.

  • sellitstoresellitstore Posts: 2,862 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Actually, this one is kind of right up my alley as I like oddball obsolete stuff.

    Yes, I have seen this note and several other similar ones and have spoken with others and developed various theories over the years. I own perhaps 5 or 6 different types, using several bank names. I'm pretty sure that they were not scrip nor legitimate issues of any bank.

    Play money or practice currency are my leading theories, with play money being the most likely. Circa 1850s-60s.

    Collector and dealer in obsolete currency. Always buying all obsolete bank notes and scrip.
  • cmerlo1cmerlo1 Posts: 7,910 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @sellitstore said:
    Actually, this one is kind of right up my alley as I like oddball obsolete stuff.

    Yes, I have seen this note and several other similar ones and have spoken with others and developed various theories over the years. I own perhaps 5 or 6 different types, using several bank names. I'm pretty sure that they were not scrip nor legitimate issues of any bank.

    Play money or practice currency are my leading theories, with play money being the most likely. Circa 1850s-60s.

    This makes sense. It seemed too fragile to have been intended for circulation. Thanks for the info!!

    You Suck! Awarded 6/2008- 1901-O Micro O Morgan, 8/2008- 1878 VAM-123 Morgan, 9/2022 1888-O VAM-1B3 H8 Morgan | Senior Regional Representative- ANACS Coin Grading. Posted opinions on coins are my own, and are not an official ANACS opinion.
Sign In or Register to comment.