#27: Confederate Currency
Most of us don’t think about this, but the Confederate States had to have their own form of currency during the Civil War. They sure as heck weren’t going to use the regular US currency. These three bills are examples of Confederate bills. The first Confederate money was issued in 1861. It was circulated and used throughout the eleven states that made up the Confederacy during the US Civil War.
As we know, the whole Confederate States of America thing didn’t work out. The Civil War ended in 1865, and Confederate money lost all value after that. The thing is, these bills didn’t really have any value during the Civil War. Confederate currency was printed without any underlying backing, such as gold or another valuable asset. These bills are best understood as promissory notes that promised owners compensation after the war was over. That didn’t work out.