1780 State Of Massachusetts - Bay $1 Colonial Currency Note
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:22495065 | Certification: Uncertified |
| Denomination: $1 |
For sale is a 1780 State of Massachusetts-Bay $1 Colonial Currency Note. The note is dated May 5th, 1780 and has Serial number: 12.814. It is hand signed, measures 3.5″ × 2.75″ and is circulated and worn. The note has a hole in the center, a crease mark, and is stamped Intereft paid one Year.**
Thank you for your consideration of this nice example of a Massachusetts colonial currency note!
**A few words of explanation regarding the use of "f" versus "s" on this Colonial Curr...ency note: Collectors often refer to the strange spelling of words from the 17th & 18th centuries; particularly, the use of an "f" where seemingly inappropriate. Centuries before the advent of the printing press, there were grammatical reasons for the use of a serpentine-styled "s" instead of the more typical one. Its look was as if an "s" was elongated and leaned to the right. When this letter was converted to a block letter for the printing press (around 1500), it looked much like an "f", but with the slash through one side and not the other. For example, look carefully and notice the difference in the word "poffeffor" (possessor) located directly under the serial number on the obverse of the note. This letter caused confusion with the "f" ever since, and by 1750, publishers were abandoning it in favor of the more traditional "s." By 1800, it was almost universally abandoned.
Thank you for your consideration of this nice example of a Massachusetts colonial currency note!
**A few words of explanation regarding the use of "f" versus "s" on this Colonial Curr...ency note: Collectors often refer to the strange spelling of words from the 17th & 18th centuries; particularly, the use of an "f" where seemingly inappropriate. Centuries before the advent of the printing press, there were grammatical reasons for the use of a serpentine-styled "s" instead of the more typical one. Its look was as if an "s" was elongated and leaned to the right. When this letter was converted to a block letter for the printing press (around 1500), it looked much like an "f", but with the slash through one side and not the other. For example, look carefully and notice the difference in the word "poffeffor" (possessor) located directly under the serial number on the obverse of the note. This letter caused confusion with the "f" ever since, and by 1750, publishers were abandoning it in favor of the more traditional "s." By 1800, it was almost universally abandoned.
