15093

Rhode Island December 2, 1740 Contemporary Counterfei Rhode Island December 2, 1740 Contemporary Cou

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:8,750.00 USD Estimated At:12,500.00 - 18,750.00 USD
Rhode Island December 2, 1740 Contemporary Counterfei Rhode Island December 2, 1740 Contemporary Cou
<B>Rhode Island December 2, 1740 Contemporary Counterfeit 1L About New.</B></I> This note was previously lot 568 from Stack's May 11, 2004 sale of the John Ford Collection. It's one of the few known examples of this issue and denomination, all of which, to the best of our knowledge, are counterfeits from this same source. The counterfeiter was Dr. Stephen Tallman, who was the brother-in-law of John Potter who was one of the authorized signers of this issue. Tallman was exposed, arrested, and tried, and although no direct connection was ever made, some suspicion fell on John Potter as a possible accomplice of his brother-in-law. Contemporary endorsement on the back of this bill reads: "rec'd this Bill of Dr. Stephen Tallman of Portsmouth in Bristol sometime in Octob. 1741 (signed) Thomas Lawton." The bill shows only very minor traces of circulation and has a single horizontal fold. There is no splitting, staining, aging, or restorations of any kind. With no genuine examples available, and with the fascinating history behind this early note, we would expect it to well exceed the $9,200 it realized a year and a half ago.