Southern State Issued
Currency of Georgia During the Civil War
On January 19, 1861, Georgia became the
5th State to secede from the Union.
During the Civil War the State of Georgia began issuing notes
during 1862 under the Act of December 5, 1861, which initially
authorized $2,500,000 in state Treasury notes. The state continued
to authorize more funds for the continued issuance of notes
throughout the War under the authority of different legislative
acts which culminated with a final issue dated March 20, 1865. All
state issued notes are uniface notes. Most notes will be found with
an ink Treasury stamp on either the front or back. Information for
the State of Georgia Treasury notes on this page was obtained from
_State of Georgia Treasury Notes, Treasury Certificates & Bonds
A Comprehensive Collector's Guide_, by W. Mack Martin & Kenneth
S. Latimer, the most comprehensive reference to date on State of
Georgia Treasury Notes, Treasury Certificates, and Bonds.
Information was also obtained from _A Guide Book of Southern States
Currency_, by Hugh Shull
1862 Issue Authorized under the Act of
December 5, 1861
Notes are dated January 15,
1862
$5 Note with James Oglethorpe, founder of
the colony of Georgia
200,000 notes issued
Scarcer version of the 1862 dated $5 Note
with an engraver's last name of Deall found on the left margin of
the note. According to W. Mack Martin and Kenneth S. Latimer in
their excellent reference on State of Georgia Treasury Notes,
Treasury Certificates and Bonds, an engraver by the name of Deall
engraved his name on the margin of the printing plates that was
used to print the sheets of State of Georgia currency. Some of
these notes made it into circulation befor Government inspectors
noticed Deall's engraved name and began removing it from any
subsequent affected notes by cutting it from the
margin.
$10 Note with allegorical figure of
Ceres.
54,000 notes issued
$20 Note with allegorical figure of
Ceres
15,000 notes issued
$50 Note with allegorical figures of Ceres
and Justice. Portraits of Georgia Civil War Governor Joseph E.
Brown on each side of Ceres
15,000 notes issued
$100 Note with allegorical figure of Ceres
and pictures of sailors. 2 Treasury seals are stamped on the front
of this note
9,980 notes issued
1863 Issue Authorized under the Act of
December 12, 1862
The $100 and $50 notes are dated February
2, 1863 while the $10 notes are dated February 1, 1863. The
remaining denominations are dated January 1,
1863
5 Cent fractional Note
403,200 notes issued
10 Cent fractional Note
464,000 notes issued
15 Cent fractional Note
66,600 notes issued
25 Cent fractional Note
898,900 notes issued
50 Cent fractional Note with the scarcer red
Treasury stamp
50 Cent fractional Note with the more common
green Treasury stamp
620,500 notes issued
50 Cent fractional Note with an
advertisement on the reverse for the General Railroad Ticket Office
in Atlanta
$1 Note with train
196,000 notes issued
$2 Note with steamship at
sea
50,000 notes issued
$10 Note with Georgia coat of arms and
allegorical figures of Minerva and Ceres
30,000 notes issued
$50 Note with Roman numeral L surrounded by
a coiled rattlesnake
30,000 notes issued
$100 Note with Georgia coat of arms and
portrait of Georgia Civil War Governor Joseph E.
Brown
30,000 notes issued
1864 Issue Authorized under the Act of
December 14, 1863
The fractional and small denomination
notes up to $4 are dated January 1, 1864. The larger denomination
notes from $5 up to $100, are dated April 6,
1864
$1 Note with train
39,000 notes issued
$2 Note with steamship at
sea
99,000 notes issued
$3 Note with an allegorical Minerva standing
and picture of horses drinking water
50,000 notes issued
$4 Note with an allegorical Moneta seated
with treasure and pictures of slaves harvesting
cotton
25,000 notes issued
$5 Note with an allegorical Moneta seated
with treasure
190,000 notes issued
$20 Note with an allegorical Moneta seated
with treasure
75,000 notes issued
1865 Issue - Possibly Authorized under
Act of March 17, 1864
The Georgia Legislature was forced to
leave Milledgeville during November 1864 due to Sherman's March to
the Sea. It reconvened on February 15, 1865 in Macon but there is
no surviving record of the authorization for this last issue of
notes. The $5 and $50 notes are dated January 15, 1865 while the
$10 notes are dated March 20, 1865.
$5 Note with James Oglethorpe, founder of
the colony of Georgia
4,000 notes issued
$10 Note with Georgia coat of arms and
freight train.
