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Looking For Something Unusual To Hang On Your Wall? Confederacy’s War Bond May Fit The Bill
Have you ever seen a Confederate States of America bond?
The Confederacy demandedfunds for its war effort–indeed, for its very life. And so, it resorted to what politicians have commonly done in modern times: it sold bonds. These instruments were promises to pay off, in the future and with interest, the loan that a citizen or other “investor” had made in the southern cause.
It goes without saying, most of the people who loaned funds to support the Lost Cause never received a single penny back. The end result: the people tucked those Confederate bonds away in a chest of drawers or in a trunk in the attic, never bothering to try to redeem the attached coupons, which were now rendered worthless by the South’s defeat.
Nowadays, the bonds that survived these many decades are prized by collectors. And, you can turn around and sell Confederate bonds (along with other types of paper items) on eBay for some extra spending money.
If you’ve ever held a Confederate bond, you certainly understand why many individuals are seeking them. To begin with, they are quite decorative. They’re physically pretty large–very much more impressive than a Confederate dollar bill, for example–and extensively decorated. They look great in a frame. In addition, they represent a small segment of history. Only the most affluent of collectors can afford to own honest-to-goodness Civil War rifle in the present day, but Confederate bonds are within the budget of virtually every War Between the States devotee.
The CSA’s government issued a large number and variety of bond certificates during its short-lived existence. The certificates were issued with different face amounts, and varied a great deal in appearance and even in the color of the paper on which they were issued.
In the 19th century when what seems to us superfluous or excessive decoration was in style, these Confederate bonds were perfrect examples of embellishment. Besides the terms of the bond printed in cursive script, they often contained art of rural and city scenes along with people, both real and mythological.
On my wall in the room where I am writing this, I have a $1000 CSA bond that I purchased and put in a frame a number of years ago. It is lovely, with text printed in ornate italic script and, in its center, a vignette of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. You probably know that he languished and then died in the confusion of war, after being mistakenly shot by his own troops near Chancellorsville. He was a southern hero, and therefore it was entirely predictable that his likeness should come to grace the Confederacy’s bonds.
Southerners of course weren’t the only purchasers of the Confederate war bonds. Some persons across the sea in England, and also as other countries of Europe, did too. Perhaps they were folks whose sympathies in the Great Conflict lay with the Confederacy and its leaders. Or quite possibly they were merely wagering on the outcome of the war.
Buying and selling Confederate bonds has become a big activity inisde the the hobby of scripophily, which refers to the collecting of old financial instruments (including stock certificates, bank notes and railroad bonds, for instance) for their historic and artistic value.
If you are a history buff–or if you’re just looking for a different kind of “art” with which to decorate your home–learning about Confederate bonds and acquiring a few carefully chosen examples could turn into a fund and affordable pastime. As well,It is also a great area to investigate if you cotton to the idea of earning money by selling “paper”–books, magazines, old prints and so forth.
Leave it to an enterprising British woman to become the world’s expert on making money–even earning a living–selling pieces of American paper, not only old currency and bonds but even pages ripped from old magazines. You can read more about her surprising eBay paper selling method here.
Carrie Underwood – How Great Thou Art – Cover – 10 and 6 yr olds