A few months ago, I wrote about the merits of silver dollars, widely used in most of Wyoming in the 1950s. I neglected to mention an advantage paper currency had over silver dollars: it could be used for bookmarks!
Such was the case of this fractional currency issued about the time of the Civil War. “Civil War uncertainties led to widespread coin hoarding, so Congress authorized 3¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and 50¢ fractional notes issued from 1862-1876. Made redeemable for silver coins in 1876, nearly all of these Civil War collectibles were turned in.”
As a marker in a book in a family collection, this opportunity for redemption was missed. Hence, it was still marking the place in a book being read by an unknown reader when a family member stumbled across it some time ago. Rather than a “shinplaster,” couldn’t that unknown reader have used a $100 bill? It could have marked the place just as easily….
