 North Carolina Currency. December 29, 1785 Act at Newbern. Forty Shillings or Two Pounds or Five Dollars. Unnumbered and Unsigned. Blue Counterfeit Detector or Specimen Note. Printed on special blue paper, also watermarked 'NORTH/CAROLINA'. 111mm by 77mm. Printed on both sides, designs and style identical to genuine bills. The face with elaborate border cut frame, slightly different from other notes on the series, enclosing the enactment texts and denomination at the top 'FORTY SHILLINGS' and smaller 'Two/Pounds' to the right.
Underneath, to the left, is a large vignette of Justice with banner above, 'JUSTITIA' enclosed in square. Serial number space below and signature space at the lower right. The bottom border cut with 'COUNTERFEITERS-BEWARE'.
The back orientation is parallel to the face and uses an ornamental border to enclose typeset texts. At the top, the denomination and in the center the obligation. At the left end, 'Death to counterfeit!' and '40s'. Adjacent at the left end the imprint 'HILLSBOROUGH: Printed by/THOMAS DAVIS.' At the right end 'Two Pound Specie'. The paper is not as thin as usually seen on other detector bills of the period.
Eric Newman refers to these as ''Test Specimens.'' On this rare series of notes, the printer Davis prepared these unusual ''Specimen'' or Counterfeit Detector bills. Eric Newman does not elaborate on them. However, the paper coarseness is a little unusual, and the note is unmistakenly blue and has the full, bold watermark. It is unusual that this paper type has been seen on only this denomination and not the entire issue. Were they printed from a single sample plate for approval of the Newbern Assembly? That would make them ''Specimen'' or ''Proof'' type notes.
No matter what, a great rarity and enigmatic. The only other blue detector note from this series was in the Ford-Boyd Collection and sold in the May, 2005 Ford X Sale. Fine. Hard vertical quarter folds, creased down the center. Small split at the bottom and paper ''jag'' in the lower left margin. Several pinholes across the top. Toning across the bottom back edge. A fascinating and very rare note. As stated, only the second blue detector note on this issue we have seen.
Ex F.C.C. Boyd Estate.
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