They were of obviously higher quality material, and counterfeits were typically not too great. Although, the CSA paper money was so poorly printed that counterfeiters often got caught because their bills were better. :^)
Thanks. That is a funny sidenote about CSA currency.
Most, if not all, of my Confederate money looks like crap. The notes unquestionably genuine, but are not crisp and sharp like they should be. Until now, I didn’t know why. Good post.
Never heard that before…I love historical anecdotes like that.
I had no idea Franklin’s print shop produced 2.5 million cash bills and that whole cash bill idea was a new invention at the time. Franklin was young, from late teens to early 40s When he ran his print shop in Philadelphia. Did he also own the “Franklin Mint”? (jk)
James Franklin (Benjamin’s brother) was trained as a printer in London and he printed with skill and ambition. In the summer of 1721, he established The New England Courant. Soon, James was forbidden by the Massachusetts Assembly to publish the paper because of attacks against the establishment.
”The more things change…”
“A Counterfeiting Conspiracy?”
https://archive.nytimes.com/opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/a-counterfeiting-conspiracy/