These items are the highlight of the engraver`s art – extremely detailed and sometimes even with a splash of color! Banknotes were issued by banks after the Civil War, authorized by the Federal government to encourage the use of ‘paper’ money. By the time they were discontinued in 1935 (a nice run of 70 years!), over 11,000 banks had been chartered to issue currency. Bank checks in many cases copied or continued the great images from banknotes; and these elaborate scenes showed American life (or what the engraver thought what life should look like!)
Advertising Ephemera and Antiques
