How to Spot Fake Confederate Civil War Currency

Russell Huebsch is going to show s the simple steps to telling a real confederate notes from the faux....

"Collecting Civil War Confederate currency is potentially very profitable because of the nostalgia for the time period in Southern states, but also rife with fakes. Some of the confusion surrounding Civil War-era currency comes from innocent mistakes, such as facsimiles, and from criminals purposely printing forgeries. Recognizing some of the most common signs of a facsimile or forgery can eliminate most fraudulent sales.

The Cut

The South was cash-strapped during the Civil War and could not afford the machinery needed to properly cut paper money. Instead, they used scissors and other hand-cut methods. This means that legitimate Confederate currency should not have perfectly cut edges like you would see on modern currency. You might even compare Confederate currency to how a coupon looks after you cut it out from a newspaper. 

The Paper

Again, the Confederate States of America was forced to use cheap rice paper instead of a sturdier material because of the lack of wealth in the area. Rice paper feels very flimsy -- kind of like a baking sheet - and much thinner than modern currency. Some states, such as Texas, printed currency on papyrus during the pre-Civil War period, so it is possible to find currency made out of other material, but most CSA currency used rice paper.

The Ink

Most real CSA currency contains writing - most bills have hand written numbering and signatures -- in iron gall ink. Some denominations used a stamp for numbering but at the very least the treasurer had to sign the note. Iron gall ink has a dark brown color, but it also oxidizes over time which leads to bleeding through the back of the note. While some CSA notes have stood the test of time and resisted bleeding, you should be able to see the ink bleed through the back on nearly all legitimate notes.

Common Fakes and Facsimiles

There are a number of legally produced replicas of CSA currency for educational and entertainment purposes, but they may have the word "replica" on them or easily won't pass the previously mentioned tests. Some, however, such as replicas found in Cheerios boxes in the 1950's, are so old that they may begin to look legitimate and have been passed down to the next generation, so some people think they are actually heirlooms from the Civil War.

You may also encounter contemporary counterfeits, which are counterfeits notes produced during the Civil War. There are several contemporary counterfeits, so it is hard to adhere to general guidelines when identifying them. One of the more common counterfeit notes was produced by Samuel Upham. Early Upham notes have Jefferson Davis's head replaced with a donkey and Samuel wrote his name and address on them at the bottom, but many people simply cut off the name and passed them off as legitimate currency. Upham soon began counterfeiting Confederate currency due to the huge number of people passing off his notes as fakes. In many cases, contemporary counterfeits hold just as much value as real notes.

Modern forgeries have almost no value, but many forgers use the same serial number over and over. The best way to spot a forgery is to compare the serial number with a list of known fakes. In addition, learn all of the denominations used by the CSA. For instance, the CSA never produced notes worth more than $1,000. Even the $500 and $1,000 notes are extremely rare, so finding one in mint condition should draw immediate suspicion."

Huebsch, Russell. "How to Spot Fake Confederate Civil War Currency." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Aug. 2013. <http://voices.yahoo.com/how-spot-fake-confederate-civil-war-currency-11632834.html?cat=37>.