QUERY: A BLANK CIVIL WAR PAYCHECK
The E-Sylum (2/2/2020)
Book Content
Michael Atkins writes:Below is what I think is a blank Civil War Paycheck from 1862, a lithograph from Hatch & Co. I have searched past Heritage auctions, Newman Portal, and various search engines. The best I’ve been able to do is several photos of filled out and endorsed CW paychecks, but nothing like this. JJ Cisco would have been Assistant US Treasurer for New York so it would probably have come out of his office. Anyone know more about this?
I can think of a few federal contractors who would be happy to have a blank check from Uncle Sam. In the paper money world, unissued remainders are sought after for their generally high condition yet are often far more common than issued examples. With checks it can sometimes be the opposite. Issued and cancelled checks have no monetary value and often come into the collectible marketplace years later when offices and files get cleaned out. Blank checks are guarded more carefully while the accounts they draw on are still open. But years later, if not destroyed, unissued checks can enter the market as well.
Can anyone add anything about this unissued check? Do other examples exist? -Editor
