Bank of South Carolina $2 note

Andersonh1

Brigadier General
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Jan 12, 2016
Location
South Carolina
This is slightly pre-Civil War, around 1852 issue, though it was likely circulating during the war. I bought it locally at the Greenville Confederate museum, and was eyeing some of that Confederate currency as well. This is a well worn bill, obviously handled many times. It has six cancellation stamps on it, which look like circular cuts in the paper when it's held up to the light. I may try to scan it in at some point and see if I can read the faded signatures and dates. It's fascinating to hold a tangible little historical relic like this.

History of the Bank of the State of South Carolina: https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/bank-of-the-state-of-south-carolina/

From the above link:
During the Civil War, the BSSC wholeheartedly supported the state’s war effort and the Confederate government. By 1863, due to staggering inflation, the resources of the bank were valued at $15 million, but more than half of this total was in Confederate securities or currency that became worthless at the end of the war. An attempt to recharter the bank was defeated in 1866. In 1868 the General Assembly ordered that the remaining assets of the bank be turned over to the state. Lawsuits over the proper distribution of assets to the bank’s creditors clogged the courts until the 1880s.​

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Better images of this type of $2 bill can be found at this link: https://gilbertcoins.com/shop/1852-...outh-carolina-charleston-2-note-no-999-sh553/

ediit: scanned the front. The date looks like 14 Dec, but I can't make out the year.
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South Carolina's State archives used to auction off online (they still may) through Ebay, Civil War era banknotes that they had stored since the end of the war. These are a few that I had won from them about 13 or 14 years ago. The SC Civil War fractional notes are still quite affordable on Ebay and make a nice collection that is easy and affordable to complete. The obverse and reverse banknote is an 1873 "Reconstruction" issued note that used to be considered extremely rare until the State Archives auctioned off a bunch about 13 or so years ago.



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I think what the museum curator was telling me today was that all of those SC bank notes were recalled and meant to be destroyed when the bank's charter ended, but when the bank's assets got tied up in court, they just ended up in storage and never got destroyed, which is why they still exist in decent quantities. I haven't bought any old currency before, but I may well collect some more.
 
I think what the museum curator was telling me today was that all of those SC bank notes were recalled and meant to be destroyed when the bank's charter ended, but when the bank's assets got tied up in court, they just ended up in storage and never got destroyed, which is why they still exist in decent quantities. I haven't bought any old currency before, but I may well collect some more.
I had collected U.S, Confederate and Southern State notes since the mid 1980's and up until 2008 or so, the 1873 Bank of the State of South Carolina Reconstruction note listed in by above post was listed in price guides with no price but the explanation that they were extremely rare. The state held their first few banknote auctions online themselves before going over to Ebay to list their items. It was during one of their first auctions I picked up 2 of these notes for almost next to nothing in Uncirculated condition even though both were completely filled out and hand cancelled on the back. Unfortunately a couple of years later, I got laid off from work and my wife who also worked, had a stroke, so hard times hit. I ended up selling my Confederate and Southern State notes to a local collector for an offer I couldn't refuse and pieced out my U.S. notes on Ebay which got us through the hard times. A couple of years ago I started collecting again but now the notes I used to collect are just crazy in price so I'm concentrating on Confederate Bonds and Michigan obsolete banknotes, both which are still affordable and can be had at good prices. I believe that Confederate bonds have been sleepers for all these years and I have a feeling that somewhere down the not too distant road, prices are going to rocket up like they did on the Confederate and U.S. currency. (I hope.)
 
I can't help but notice that the $5.00 bill from South Carolina has the identical design (Francis Marion,Sir Tarleton and the sweet potatos) as one of the Confederate $10.00 notes.Same engraver? I believe this is possibly the work of Col. Blanton Duncan.
 
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