Upcoming Lecture
Bad Counterfeit versus Good Counterfeit: Lyman Parks and his “Funny Money”
Book and Paper Expo, May 7, 2011 at 11 am. Shriner’s Auditorium, Wilmington, MA
Prior to 1862 when the Federal Government started regulating paper currency, the only legal tender in this country was gold, silver and copper coins. By the 1810s coinage was so scarce banks began to commission their own bank notes in lieu of cash. Each bank adopted their own unique design for their notes as well as decided what denomination they would issue. The actual notes were printed by independent engravers whose plates sometimes went missing. Paper was not standardized either. Internal control of currency was just as loosely maintained. Although each note was individually numbered and signed by the cashier and the bank president, records of what was actually issued were not always closely monitored. All these variations provided a myriad of opportunities for the counterfeiters aka koniackers to ply their trade.
In the course of this illustrated lecture, attendees will learn how to assess if a bank note is genuine or not and hear new research about Lyman Parks, one of the most accomplished counterfeiters of the 1830s.
