Violet H. writes: I have a note from The State of Louisiana. On the back it is written: Receivable for sales of public lands and for all public dues. The top right corner -down, it is written: Receivable for state Parish and Municipal Treas? Under the state of Louisiana it has: will pay the bearer ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS at the Treasurers office Shreveport, March 10th 1863. It has a picture of a building with this written above it: “Twelve months after a Definitive Treaty between the Confederate states and The United States”. It also has a picture of a man in the left top corner. On the front is has a woman holding a sign with 100 and she is between 2 seals with the word HUNDRED (with giant 1 behind the word) and little 100 around the outer shell of these seals with a total of 8 around each seal. I’m wondering what it’s worth. How much over $100 could I get?
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, New Orleans fell under the control of Union Troops. Union General Benjamin F. Butler’s army entered the city on May 1. Louisiana was essentially partitioned, with the Confederacy controlling Western Louisiana, with the capital established at Shreveport.
Your note is a Confederate States issue of Louisiana printed by the “Authority of the Act of February 8, 1863”. The black on white linen paper note shows the bust of Governor Thomas O. Moore at left and large building at the center and an allegorical Seated Liberty at the lower right reminiscent of the figure on the Federal Seated Liberty coinage. STATE of LOUISIANA and ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS are prominent in the center. The back has an ornate design printed in blue-green ink. Plate letters are from A to K. These notes were issued in Shreveport Louisiana and printed by B. Duncan, Columbia, South Carolina.
Though all currency issued by the United States of America is still legal tender, the note in question isn’t. That is because it was issued under the authority of the State of Louisiana as part of the Confederate States of America, a political entity that dissolved in 1865, the end of the Civil War. Only collector value remains, the denomination is immaterial to its value. Value range (depends on grade Good – Unc): $5 – $90.
Notes issued by the United States from the Civil War period can have considerably more value than their face value because of their rarity and collector demand though you can still redeem them for face value.
