***Auction Highlight*** Ultra Rare 3rd Issue 10c Frac Currency Wide Margin Specimen FR-1253sp Hand Signed By Colby/Spinner Grades Choice AU/BU Slider. This Note While also being a Very Rare Wide Margin Specimen Piece is hand signed by Stoddard B. Colby Register of the United States Treasury & Francis E. Spinner Treasurer of the United States . Fractional currency specimens were sold to the general public for the purpose of counterfeit detection. Most of the wide margin specimens were in sets sold to the public and most of the narrow margin specimens came from currency shields. Wide margin specimen notes are more rare than the narrow specimen notes. Fractional or postage currency has a rich history. At the beginning of the Civil War people starting hoarding coins for their precious metal content. Coins became difficult to find because of the hoarding. People started to try to use stamps instead of coins as a means of commerce. The government decided to help ease the hoarding issue by issuing “paper coins” also known as postage currency or fractional currency. Fractional currency was first issued on August 21, 1862 and they were last issued on February 15, 1876. Three cents, five cents, ten cents, twenty-five cents, and fifty cents notes were all issued. Fractional currency is physically smaller than other United States money. It also does not have a serial number.