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Is this a Civil War banknote underprint?
gsalex
Posts: 218 ✭✭✭
Maybe Russell or another obsolete expert can chime in. I picked up this curious proof recently and I'm trying to figure out what it is. The red rectangle is about 5.5" x 2". I'll post a close up of one of the years. Do these look like underprints for obsolete notes? What else might they have been used for?
Intrigued by all things intaglio.
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I would venture a guess at being for a bond.
That does seem possible. The year dates are about the size of bond coupons, but I don't recall seeing any coupons like this.
What about interest bearing banknotes?
The recent post by @BillJones got me thinking about this red proof again. @sellitstore have you or any CSA expert ever seen these on bonds or currency from the Civil War era?
A back for a bond coupon certainly seems like a possibility. End panels for bank notes is another possibility. The "100" probably represents the denomination, either way.
I don't recognize them but they could be some sort of essay or proposed design, perhaps related to the chemicograhic backs produced by Straker in England. The red ink and printing looks similar to the red used on those.
Peter Bertram has recently published a book on the Straker chemicographic backs and is probably the best person to ask about these, although other Southern specialists may be of help. These might even be in this book. I don't know because I don't own a copy. Does anyone else here have this book?
https://amazon.com/CONFEDERATE-CHEMICOGRAPH-BACKS-REVISITED/dp/B0C5Z3FJVZ/ref=sr_1_1