Feb 17th, 1776, Continental Currency 1 Dollar Banknote - Revolutionary War Note - Philadelphia Issue One Dollar Colonial Note - CC-23

This listing is for the photographed February 17th, 1776, 1 Dollar Continental Currency Note. Issued in Philadelphia by the Continental Congress. The obverse of this note shows a woodcut of the Despressa Resurgit emblem with a weighted bowl on an acanthus plant at the right end. The reverse of this note shows a woodcut of the ragweed plant and two willow leaves at the center, printed by Hall and Sellers in 1776. Rarer full denomination, rather than a fractional note. Rare and amazing piece of history, still in excellent condition. Very Fine (VF) grade/condition, some repairs to the note, as pictured. More history below. CC-23.

Because few coins were minted in the Thirteen Colonies, which later became the United Colonies and then the United States, foreign coins like the Spanish dollar were widely circulated. Colonial governments, at times, issued paper money to facilitate economic activities. The British Parliament passed Currency Acts in 1751, 1764, and 1773 to regulate colonial paper money.

During the American Revolution, the Colonies became independent states. No longer subject to monetary regulations arbitrarily imposed by the British Parliament, the States began to issue paper money to pay for military expenses. The Continental Congress also issued paper money during the Revolution — known as Continental currency — to fund the war effort. To meet the monetary demands of the war, State and Continental governments printed large amounts of currency, leading to rapid depreciation. By the end of the war, these paper notes became effectively worthless. Additionally, British counterfeiting gangs contributed further to the decreased value. By its conclusion, only a few counterfeiters had been caught and preemptively hanged, for the crime.

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Feb 17th, 1776, Continental Currency 1 Dollar Banknote - Revolutionary War Note - Philadelphia Issue One Dollar Colonial Note - CC-23