A fractional currency shield is a printed "shield" on which is placed 39 different

fractional currency __NOTOC__ Fractional currency, also referred to as shinplasters, was introduced by the United States federal government following the outbreak of the Civil War. These low- denomination banknotes of the United States dollar were in use between ...

notes. Produced in 1866 and 1867 by the Treasury Department, the shields were sold to banks for $4.50 each, for the purpose of having a genuine note available to use as a method of counterfeit detection. The 39

notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened version ...

were printed from the original plates on one side only, the other side left blank, or with the printed word "specimen". Fractional Specimen Shield

The shields were typically framed by the purchaser and hung on the wall for the convenience of bank employees. Sales were reported to be $14,683.50. Notes appearing on the shields were from the first, second and third issues of Fractional Currency, of the five different issues made. Many were stored upright on the floor of the Currency Bureau (Department of Engraving and Printing), and during a flood suffered

water damage Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

, the water reaching approximately high. Undamaged shields are rare. It is unknown how many shields exist, but it is believed to be about 600. The printed shield portion exists in three colors, grey (the most common), pink and green. Many Specimen notes of the second and third fractional issue are printed on captured Confederate paper that was taken in 1862 by the Union ship Mercedita from the Confederate blockade runner

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

(later, USS Bermuda). The paper was subsequently taken to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and sold by the US Government. The paper, produced in Great Britain from seaweed pulp was watermarked CSA (Confederate States America), and originally due to be printed as Confederate paper notes. Many of the specimen notes contain a partial, or complete imprints of the watermark. Examples of the blank paper, with the CSA

watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...

in full and half sheets exist. Many individual specimen notes (printed on one side only) exist after being removed from shields.

References

{{reflist Money forgery