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Fractional Currency Shield, 39 Specimen Notes

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Fractional Currency

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Superb Gray Background Fractional Currency Shield
The Finest We Have Catalogued

Gray Background Fractional Currency Shield. Complete with 39 Specimen Notes. Framed and Superior Quality. Choice Extremely Fine.
We have been fortunate to catalogue several Fractional Currency Shields over the past two decades, but few we have seen offered anywhere have met or exceeded this handsome example for eye-appeal and overall superior quality. This is the finest Shield we have had the pleasure to catalogue and offer for sale to the collecting community. Those collectors familiar with the history of the fascinating artifacts of this important series of Civil War currency understand that the vast majority of these Shields were stored poorly and subjected to the horrors of various levels of bad damp staining. This magnificent Shield is virtually devoid of that flaw with only a few trivial tone areas on the vestiges of the original margins outside the gray frame line. Specialists generally agree that about 400 or so Gray Background Shields are still extant. Though far from the rarity of the Pink and Green Shields that also exist, the popularity of these has been a "numismatic forever" and often our first memories of visiting a coin shop as a kid would be the majesty of one of these Shields hanging upon a wall.
This beautiful shield, standard original matte-board size of 24.0" by 20.0" is nicely ensconced in a antique wooden frame with overall dimensions of 31.0" by 27.0." No frame is considered "original" as it is generally considered that these were sold raw and framed elsewhere, but for the most part contemporary to the period. Placed upon the gray background printed by the Treasury Department and crowned by a Federal Eagle are 39 uniface narrow margin Specimen notes. The Specimen notes on this are particularly sharp and bright, superior for their types. A bonus on this Shield is a rarely encountered blue-gray 25 Cents Second Issue back, much different than the issue color and assigned its own Milton number designation.
A pleasing presentation and superior quality Shield which would make an impressive display in any numismatic or Civil War historians collection.




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