Confederate States Paper Money by George S. Cuhaj

Author:George S. Cuhaj [Cuhaj, George S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4402-3106-3
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2012-10-19T16:00:00+00:00

Unlike counterfeits that are intended by the maker to deceive and be used as money, facsimiles are reproductions made primarily as souvenirs or to be used for advertising purposes. In the United States, a large number of these facsimile notes have incorporated reproductions of various Confederate notes of which the most famous and desirable are those printed by Samuel C. Upham of Philadelphia, Pa., during the Civil War. How did this happen and which notes were reproduced?

Think back to 1861. It was a time when patriotism filled the air, both North and South. Entrepreneurs hurried to capitalize on it by offering the public various badges, ribbons and paper items printed in red, white and blue or filled with patriotic messages. If you don’t want to go back that far, try World War II for the same effect. “Remember Pearl Harbor” emblems in various forms were soon on the market, followed by many others, and they weren’t being sold to help the government other than keeping morale high.

Enthusiasm dwindled as the Civil War wore on and with it the demand for patriotic items as souvenirs. But that doesn’t mean a lack of business. Wars have generally been profitable to those who supply the needs of armies, or even for such things as coffins after the battle of Gettysburg. Then there were those entrepreneurs who devised their own business based on the real or imagined needs of the public, although one doesn’t really require a war for that.

Samuel Upham was one of these entrepreneurs who was already operating a combination drugstore, perfumery and stationery shop when the war began. Not an originator, he was quick to grasp the sales potential of items introduced by others. While Upham is best known for his facsimile Confederate notes, these were not his first effort to capitalize on the Civil War. Nor was he the only one in Philadelphia who concentrated on what collectors now call printed ephemera. A number of printers and engravers (especially of wood cuts) were located near his store. From one of the engravers, E. Rogers (132 S. 3rd St.), Upham purchased rights to a card that showed the head of a jackass transformed into the head of Jefferson Davis. Heads up, Davis is going to war, while reversed it shows his drooping, later appearance. Subsequently, Upham used the design on stationery that he advertised on a large business card as the “Jeff. Davis letter sheet” June 30, 1861. Upham’s letter sheets were priced at $1 for 100, $8 per 1,000. Envelopes bearing the same design were 50 cents per 100, $4 per 1,000. His business card stated that “Should you wish to engage in the sale of them, which I advise you to do, as I know by experience that they will sell rapidly, please address all orders to S.C. Upham, 310 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. N.B. Having purchased the above copyright, I alone have the power of appointing agents. Anyone selling without my authority will be prosecuted.” Nevertheless, others did produce patriotic envelopes copying this design.

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