Newman Portal Search of the Week

A Newman Portal user this week entered the date “July 12, 1709” into the NNP search. As happens weekly, the search stumps me – I might have done better if they entered “1909-S V.D.B.” instead. It turns out this refers to the inaugural appearance of Connecticut paper money (more precisely a bill of credit), issued pursuant to a May 1709 act “to pay for an aborted expedition against Canada,” per Eric Newman’s Early Paper Money of America. The notes were valid for satisfying tax obligations but not as legal tender. The example illustrated sold in Heritage Auctions’ Newman VII sale (October 2015, lot 18024), for $15,275. Newman’s working notes on this emission are found in the Harley Freeman colonial currency inventory. Newman acquired the Freeman collection in 1963 and extensively edited Freeman’s inventory, leading to the first edition of Early Paper Money in 1967.Link to Heritage sale: http://currency.ha.com/itm/colonial-notes/connecticut/colony-of-connecticut-july-12-1709-3-shillings-raised-to-10-shillings-fr-ct-3a-pcgs-very-fine-30-apparent/a/3539-18024.sLink to Harley Freeman inventory on NNP: https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/520762?page=174