Macerated Currency
Macerated United States Currency "Puss N' Boots" Design
Macerated United States Currency Bank Notes, Puss N' Boots (Cat in Lady's Shoe) Design, Extremely Fine.
This scarce design original example of Macerated Currency measures 3.5" x 1.5" x 2.5" tall. Its original Treasury tag is still attached yet worn and reads; "Made of U.S. Greenbacks redeemed and Macerated by the U.S. Government at Washington, D.C. Estimated at $5,000". This example is formed into a "Puss N' Boots," with "Puss" loose inside the boot. A wonderful display item.
Between the mid 1870s to 1928, worn and mutilated United States Currency Banknotes were returned to the Treasury Department where they were reduced to paper pulp and made into Souvenirs for sale to the public. By the 1890s, the pulp was sold to various contractors such as the National Currency Souvenir Co., where it was used to create souvenir busts of prominent Americans, historical images and replicas of various national monuments.