10 Dollars, Confederate States of America, 1863
date: label: Date made
content: April 6, 1863
name: label: maker
content: Confederate States of America
notes: label: Description
content: A final method of returning and keeping notes in commerce was to sew them. This had been done for Continental Currency, back in the days of the American Revolution; now it was done again, in the days of the Civil War. But at this point, one might ask why. Why was so much trouble being taken to give filthy, tattered money, money whose real value was descending daily, a new lease on life? The answer is that these notes, like their worthless Continental predecessors, had ventured beyond commerce, had acquired more value as symbols than they ever had as money. The issuance of money is one of the means by which a nation proclaims its freedom, its distinction, its right to exist. If its money is allowed to deteriorate, fall apart, disappear, what does that say about the nation in whose name it was issued and circulated? This cannot be allowed to happen. Better to repair the money any way you can with anything you have, get it back into circulation, and hope for the best. It will aid in a few more transactions, a few more turns; and the nation may hope for a few more throws of the dice. That's why.
place: label: place made
content: United States: Virginia, Richmond
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: National Numismatic Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (through John W. Carlin)
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1998.0063.0161
label: accession number
content: 1998.0063
label: catalog number
content: 1998.0063.0161
objectType: label: Object Name
content: note
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 cm x 17.5 cm; 3 1/8 in x 6 7/8 in