New Jersey Currency
Circulated April 23, 1761 Thirty Shillings Note Very Fine
New Jersey. April 23, 1761. Thirty Shillings. Plate B. printed in red and black. Very Fine.
Fr. NJ-144. The current (2008) 5th Edition Newman reference, page 257, lists values of only up to Very Fine condition. This red and black printed note is very attractive and clean for the grade. It is very well centered on both its face and back. A noticeable large blue thread fiber is seen made within the rag paper on the reverse. All three signatures are nice and clear and it has choice eye appeal. Only 5,000 of these 30 Shillings notes were printed, with only 1,250 bearing Plate B. A pleasing, collectable note.
The Colonial era production method in 1761 for any note with two or more colors meant extra work for the printer. Each sheet had to be placed onto the printing press twice, one time to print the red text and a second pass to add the black. Each time a color was printed, the paper sheet had to be hung up to dry for a day and then laid back down, hopefully in the same exact place as proper alignment was critical, to add the second color. Obviously, this was a far more timely procedure that added extra work and cost. That is a major reason we see so few Colonial issues that are multicolor.