The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-21
VALUE SHINPLASTER
Collectors Show Interest in
Old Bills Recently.
STORY ABOUT THEIR ORIGIN
U-e of Stamps for Change by wife
of United states Treasurer Spinner
Led that OhiciaI TO submit Plan for
Fractional Currency TO Congress,
which Is Adopted.

Collectors have in the last few years
taken up the postage and fractional cur
rency commonly known as sbinplasters
which circulated for small change during
the civil war and after. All these little
notes were finely engraved. and they pos
sess a variety Of design and cOlors ex-
celled by no other series Of paper money
one story told of the origin Of this cur
rency is that one day while Mrs F. Z.
Spinner. wife Of the United States Treas
urer, was out shopping she had some
trouble in paying a storekeeper a certain
amount not having the necessary change.
| The merchant saw in her open pocket
| book several postage stamps and told her
tiat he would accept them, says the New
York Sun Thereafter Mrs. Spinner al
Ways carried stamps for this purpose.
Gen. Spinner then conceived the idea Of
a note which would bear facsimiles Of the
different stamps, and made models of the
denominations of five, ten. twenty-five,
and fifty cents. FASTING stamps 10 make
up these values On small pieces of paste
board. These he presented TO Congress.
His plan was adopted, and the first is
sue of postage currency came into being
/ through an act Of Congress Of July II,
1862
Five-cent Note First.
/ The first Of these, the hve-cent note.
which IS about two and half inches long
and two inches wide, was brown on the
| diverse and black on the reverse, being
/ printed on buff paper. At the top Of the
diverse are the words Postage Cur
rency. Furnished Only by the Assistant
Treasurers and Designated Depositaries
/ cf the United States" In the center Is a
/ fac-simile Of hve-cent stamp then cur
rent which bore the portrait of jefferson.
/ At the bottom are the words. Receivable
1 for Postage Stamps at Any Post-ofice.
| On the reverse are the words Receivable
| IN Payment of All Dues 10 the United
/ States Less Than Five Dollars"
/ The ten-cent note, which is just trife
| larger than the five. is green on the Oh
verse and black on the reverse. In the
| center OF the diverse is a fac-simile Of the
! ten-cent stamp of the period with Wash
/ ington's portrait.
/ The twenty-five cent postage currency
/ note. which was larger than the ten, was
/ printed in brown on the diverse and
/ black on the reverse. II shows on the
/ diverse five stamps Of fve-cent denoml-
nation
/ The last of the series. the nfty-cent
+ note. was about quarter larger than
/ the five. and was printed in green On the
/ diverse, which showed FIVE ten-cent
stamps.
Several Varieties of Designs.
/ OF these general designs there are sew
/ eral varieties. The first We're printed from
an diverse plate engraved by the Ma
/ tlonal Bank Note Company, OF New York,
the reverse being engraved and printed
I by the American Bank Note Company, Of
/ New York
/ They had plain and perforated edges.
/ on the corners of some being the initials
"A. q. \. Co" Another series showed
/ backs printed by the government. with
/ the "A. 3. " Co" omitted. These also
occur with plain and perforated edges.
/ the latter being the rarer.
/ In crisp condition. set of the four
| notes, with plain edges, and with the "a.
( 3. y. Co" on the back is worth So The
4 same set with perforated edges, without
/ the "A. b. y. Co.." is worth s..
/ The first Of the fractional currency
/ notes. which were engraved and printed
az the Treasury Department were issued
/ according TO an act Of Congress, dated
( March o, 1858. These were OF the same
| denominations as the preceding ISSUE but
OF many interesting varieties
The designs all bore the head Of Wash
/ ingt0n in the center surrounded by an
oval bronze in color. The inscription was
/ United States Fractional Currency"
/ The rest Of the wording on the diverse
/ and reverse was the same as on the pos
/ tage currency, with the exception that on
I the back the note read that It was re-
! ceivable for everything but customs.
River Levee Scene.
/ The design, which was the same on all
/ denominations Of this issue, showed to
/ the left a river levee scene with steam
boats. To the right is a locomotive, with
a wagon and merchandise in the fore
ground
Some Of the scent notes Of this issue
were printed on plain white paper, with
/ brown backs, while one variety was
printed on fiber paper. with letters and
date on the back. This is the rarest va
riety Of the denomination and issue, be
/ ing worth 81 in crisp condition.
/ The 10-cent notes had backs of green,
the one on fiber paper, with letter and
/ figures also being worth 81. The 25-cent
notes had purple backs, the rarest being
worth 81 when on fiber paper and bearing
/ letters and figures on reverse. OF the 90
cent notes, the backs of which were all
printed in carmine. the rarest IS the one
printed on fiber paper, with letters and
! figures on back. which is valued at $3.50.
The next issue differed from the preced-
/ ing I'm many ways. All of the denomina-
/ tons were printed with green backs and
/ of different sizes, each in an entirely
original design. The Scent note made its
first appearance in this series.
WnshinEtOn's Head Pictured.
This showed the head of Washington
facing to the left in the center of the OBJ
verse. Crisp varieties Of this note are
worth 30 cents; the rarity, which shows a
dark curtain behind the portrait. being
worth 81.
/ The scent note bears in the center the
portrait of s. n Clark, then chief Of the
Bureau of Engraving. It is said that
his portrait is borne by this note through
a misunderstanding When some one was
asked whose portrait should be used on
this note, the answer was CLARK, mean
ing the explorer. bus the head of the
bureau thought he was referred TO. This
note with green back, when in crisp con-
dltion, is valued az 20 cents.
The 10-cent note bears the portrait Of
| Washington. facing to the right and is
valued at 20 cents when in crisp condi-
ton.
The 25-cent note has in the center a
/ large portrait OF William P Fessenden.
Secretary Of the Treasury in 1854. This