Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Confederate Currency must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Confederate Currency, Ms2011-035, Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

Confederate Currency donated to Special Collections in 2010.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Confederate Currency was completed in March 2011.

Historical Note

The Confederate States of America dollar was first issued into circulation in April 1861, when the Confederacy was only two months old, and on the eve of the outbreak of the Civil War.

At first, Confederate currency was accepted throughout the South as a medium of exchange with high purchasing power. As the war progressed, however, confidence in the ultimate success waned, the amount of paper money increased, and their dates of redemption were extended further into the future. Most Confederate currency carried the phrase across the top of the bill: "TWO YEARS AFTER THE RATIFICATION OF A TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE CONFEDERATE STATES AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" then across the middle, the "CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA will pay" [the amount of the bill] "to BEARER." As the war progressed, the currency underwent the depreciation and soaring prices characteristic of inflation. For example, by the end of the war, a cake of soap could sell for as much as $50 and an ordinary suit of clothes was $2,700. Near the end of the war, the currency became practically worthless as a medium of exchange. When the Confederacy ceased to exist as a political entity at the end of the war, the money lost all value as flat currency.

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains four $10 bills, two $50 bills, and two $100 bills. The $100 bills are stamped on the back "Issued from the Treasrs Office Richmond, Feb 10, 1863."

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Civil War
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865