Colonial Note NC. August 21, 1775 Hillsborough $8

North Carolina Currency
Exceedingly Rare August 21, 1775 Hillsborough Session Act Eight Dollars "Brittannia Stabbing Herself" Vignette the 4th Edition Newman Illustration Plate Note Ex: Roper Sale
North Carolina Currency, August 21, 1775 Provincial Congress at Hillsborough Session Act, Eight Dollars, "Brittannia Stabbing Herself" vignette with "INFELIX BRITANNIA" motto, the Fourth and Prior Editions Newman Illustration Plate Note, page 317, Signed by Richard Caswell, Very Fine.
Fr. NC-151. A great rarity and historic North Carolina Currency Political theme early Revolutionary War note showing "Brittannia Stabbing Herself" (Unhappy England) at lower left. Only 4,000 notes printed. Fully signed and issued by Andrew Knox, Richard Caswell, Richard Cogdell and Samuel Johnson (whose light red signature is faded). Some early well made edge repairs and sealed centerfold split with some central pinholes as shown. Overall, whole and complete in appearance with a sharply detailed vivid vignette slightly trimmed at bottom. This is the exact Fourth and Prior Editions of Eric Newman's, "The Early Paper Money of America" Illustration Plate Note shown on page 317 of the 4th Edition. Also, Signed by Major General Richard Caswell(1729-1789), American politician and lawyer who served as the First and Fifth Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780 and from 1785 to 1787. Senior officer as Major General of NC Militia in the Southern Theater of the American Revolutionary War, and was a Signatory of the "Continental Association" and thus he is considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Listed in Friedberg as "VERY RARE" and is indeed Extremely Rare, Unpriced in Newman above Very Good. The Stack's Ford/Boyd Collection sale contained only one much lower quality $8 note stated to be "sadly a filler only" graded Fair to Good with major problems, commenting "Boyd wasn't able to improve on this note..." selling in October 2006 for $2,750. The current vastly superior Newman Plate Note being the first and only example we have offered. Provenance Ex: Stack's John L. Roper Auction Sale, March 20, 1984, lot 92 (with original lot tag).
Richard Caswell (1729-1789) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the First and Fifth Governor of the State of North Carolina from 1776 to 1780 and from 1785 to 1787. He also served as a senior officer Major General of Militia in the Southern Theater of the American Revolutionary War, and was a Signatory of the "Continental Association" and thus considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Caswell represented North Carolina in the Continental Congresses of 1774 and 1775. When the militia district of New Bern was formed on May 4, 1776; Caswell was appointed to command that minuteman region. As such, he led the Provincial Congress' force at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge (1776).
Soon thereafter, the Provincial Congress disbanded minuteman battalions in favor of militia. In 1780, he was commissioned major general of militia and state troops. At the Battle of Camden Court House in 1780, his troops fled after Virginia militia broke and ran in panic, exposing him to attack without greater defense, leaving the Continentals behind to suffer defeat.
After his defeat at Camden Court House, Caswell returned home with an unnamed illness. In the meantime, the North Carolina General Assembly appointed William Smallwood of Maryland to the command of North Carolina's militia without informing Caswell, so he resigned on October 21, 1780.
When Smallwood returned to Maryland in January 1781, the General Assembly once again Appointed Caswell Major General of Militia, and he retained the position until the end of the American Revolution.
KEYWORDS:
Rare Currency, Colonial Currency, Historic Paper Money, Early Paper Money of America, North Carolina Colonial Currency, Revolutionary War Paper Money, Colonial America, Printing Paper Money, North Carolina Fiscal Paper Note, Hand Signed Paper Money, North Carolina Currency