| Description |
Baltimore, MD- Maryland State Colonization Society 5 Cents Novem. 1837 Shank 5.119.1. PCGS Choice About New 55 Apparent. A rare, signed note from a historic issue of Maryland scrip created for use in Liberia, Africa. The Maryland State Colonization Society (MSCS) began in 1817 as an auxiliary of the American Colonization Society (ACS). In 1827, it formed a distinct state organization with the mission of creating a colony in Africa where they would resettle freed black Maryland residents. The black population in Maryland was greater than that of any other state, and the General Assembly provided financial support for the program from 1832 to 1861, largely due to fear by whites of a black rebellion similar to the one led by Nat Turner in 1831. Some blacks and whites supported the plan as a way for blacks to achieve full rights; others, including the abolitionists, opposed sending blacks to Africa, a country they didn't know rather than integrating them into white society. Maryland County is still in existence in the southeastern part of Liberia, and has its own website: http://www.marylandcountyliberia.org/history.html It appears there are no fully issued, double-signature notes known. However, this is signed at the right by J.[ohn] H. B. LaTrobe as President of the Society. The space for the Liberian Governor is blank. Printed on thin bond paper. According to "Maryland in Liberia; a history of the colony ..." at archive.org, the vignettes appearing on the notes were intended to act as symbols of their worth. The notes were for 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, and $1; They showed, respectively: a head of tobacco, a chicken, a duck, two ducks, and a goat. On this note, the central vignette shows bound tobacco leaves flanked by small "5" counters on orange lathwork. End panels are printed in black on orange. Titles and obligations are across. This is a very well embossed example. The paper is somewhat mottled (similar to the example from the Western Reserve Historical Society Collection) with some central wrinkling. Noted by grading with "Edge Tear and Minor Damage at LL; Paper Toned." This should not be confused with the 1885 pamphlet reprints; it is considerably rarer and encountered only in advanced collections. A historic Maryland currency-related note. Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.
From Newman X (Heritage Auctions, November 2018), lot 20122, realized $1680. |
