Paper Money History: The 19th Century -US Paper Money

19th Century Paper Money

The 19th Century is full of colorful incidents and numerous issues of paper currencies. Over 130 nations issued paper bills in the 19th Century that is a lot of material to go through. We will finally continue our journey through the Centuries exploring the use of Paper Money in different societies.

A lot of the nations followed the example of the Bank of England, and a predominant structure of central banking had started to take form. Nations established their own National Banks and issued paper money through these institutions, but there were other nations that used private companies and banks to issue the bills.

I have decided to divide the study of this period into 4 sections, , as follows:

1. 1800- 1840
2. 1841- 1860
3. 1861 - 1875
4. 1876-1899

Today we will explore the first period 1800-1840

No Year Country Issued by Paper Money Value
1. 1800 Netherlands Antilles West-Indische Bank 50 gulden
2. 1803 Greenland Gronlandske Handel 12,24 skilling, ½ ,1 rigsdaler
3. 1808 Ireland Bank of Ireland 1 pound
4. 1808 South Africa East India Company 1,2,3,4,5,10,20,25,30,40,50,75,100,
250,300,400,500 rix dollar
5. 1809 Ceylon Government 2,5 rix dollars
6. 1809 Faeroe Islands Government 3,4,5,6 skilling
7. 1810 Belgium Societe de Commerce de Bruxelles 100,1000 francs
8. 1810 Guernsey Alderney Commercial Bank 1 pound
9. 1810 Mauritius Colonial Bank of Mauritius & Bourbon 5,20 crowns
10.1811 Venezuela United States of Venezuela 2 reales, 1,2,4,8,16 pesos
11.1812 Malta Banco di Malta 5,10,20,30,40,100,150,200,250,500,1000 scudi
12.1812 Puerto Rico National Treasury 8 reales
13.1812 USA Treasury Notes 100 dollar, 1000 dollar
14.1813 Croatia Siege of Zara 1,2 francs
15.1814 Netherlands Netherlands Bank 25,40,60,80,100,200,300,500,1000 gulden
16.1815 Guernsey States of Guernsey £1
17.1815 Netherlands Indies Government 1,5,10,25,50,100,300,600,1000 gulden
18.1819 Colombia Republic of Columbia 6 ¼, 12 ½, 25,50 centavos
19.1820 Argentina Buenos Aires Customs Notes 5,10,20,40,50,100 pesos
20.1820 Comoros Government of Comoros 0.05, 0.50, 1 franc
21.1822 Greece Provisional Administration 100,250,500,750,1000 grossi
22.1822 Jamaica Island Treasury 5.10,20,50,100 pounds
23.1822 Peru Banco de la Emancipacion 2,4 reales, 1 pesos
24.57 1823 Mexico Distrito Federal 1,2,10 pesos
25.1824 India – British Calcutta Bank 5,10,500 sicca rupees
26.1824 Malvinas Isla de Malvinas 1,2,5,10 pesos
27.1826 Surinam General Netherlands Company Societe Genera l½ florin 3 gulden
28.1828 Jersey St. Peter’s Vallen Road 1 pound
29.1830 British Guiana Colonies of Demerary & Essequebo 1 joe, 10 joes
30.1830 Straits Settlement North Western Bank of India 100 dollars
31.1832 Switzerland Lombard,Odier & Cie, Geneve 100 francs
32.1835 Uruguay Public Debt Drafts 400,500,2000,5000 pesos
33.1836 Texas Treasurer of the Republic Various handwritten values in dollars
34.1840 Chile Valdivia – Treasury & Customs 4,8 reales
35.1840 Jersey States of the Island of Jersey 5 pounds
36.1840 Liberia Colonial Agent 5,10,25 cents
37.1840 New Zealand Union Bank of Australia 1 pound
38.1840 Turkey Treasury 500 kurush

Credit for this list of 19th Century Paper Money Issues goes to Roger Outing

19th Century US Paper Money.

There was quite a bit of activity in the 19th Century in relation to Paper Money, this was when different trading companies and private banks issued paper currency that was worth little and most times nothing. It was also the century when America issued their famous Fractional Currency and the Confederate notes.

The Confederate notes were issued by different states, banks and companies with various designs and obligations. Notes were issued in $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, and $1000 denominations, bills to the tune of $1.7 billion dollars were in circulation. These notes started off strong with the high optimism about the outcome of the Civil War but very quickly lost all value as it became obvious that winning wasn't such a sure thing. By the end of the war inflation had taken over and the money was worthless.

Please see previous post about Fractional Currency.

Picture Gallery of US 19th Century Paper Money- Photos by Steven Vater