Description:

B. Levy Signed Rev. War Dated $8 Continental Currency

A piece of Revolutionary War dated Continental Currency co-signed by two Patriot creditors recto: the wealthy Jewish merchant Benjamin Levy (1726-1802) as "B Levy"; and Thomas Donnellan (fl. 1777) as "T. Donnellan." The note is numbered 20481 and was the equivalent of "Eight Spanish milled dollars, or the Value thereof in Gold or Silver" as passed in accordance with a Continental Congressional resolution passed at Baltimore on February 26, 1777. Printed with four margins of varying sizes on both sides. The central design on the front depicts a figural harp, with borders reading "The United Colonies / Continental Currency." "Printed by Hall & Sellers. 1777" appears verso. Expected wear including even toning, isolated fading and stains. Trimmed to an overall size of 2.875" x 3.75." Else near fine.

Benjamin Levy was a Jewish merchant with ties to New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Levy was one of seven prominent Jewish colonial merchants to sign the 1765 resolutions boycotting British goods following the Stamp Act. A major financier of the American Revolution, he was authorized to sign Patriot bills of credit like this one after December 1776.

During the 4-year period from 1775-1779, the Continental Congress authorized 11 different issuances of Continental Currency, according to the Massachusetts Historical Society. Together, these currency runs constituted a value of 226 million Spanish milled dollars, or over 80% of the federal government's income at that time. By 1779, the practice of circulating Continental Currency in paper bills was discontinued due to inflation and counterfeiting. Funding the war effort, as well as the new federal government, remained a pressing concern for the Patriots.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

June 22, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000