The penalty for counterfeiting has often been death, and the first Confederate to violate counterfeiting laws was hanged for his crime.

An obsolete note issued by the Mobile & Ohio Railroad has a connection to modern-day Canada.

An obsolete bank note long thought to be from Tennessee more likely was issued in Indiana.

Engraver Waterman Lily Ormsby was the “renegade bad boy” member of the bank note engraving community and was always considered an outsider.

Some things are not as easy to determine as it might seem at first. One thing is determining when a bank “closed.” It depends on how you define “closed.”

Obsolete notes have always been a fertile field for people who enjoy collecting topically. Some look for exotic subject matter.

Kentucky wanted to remain a neutral early on in the Civil War, but ultimately placed itself in the Union camp. Paper money reflects the turbulence of the time.

One of my newest areas of interest is in the emergency notes that were issued by the towns and villages of Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

What attracted me to the note was the unusual vignette on the back that depicts two naval vessels engaged in close combat, with one on the verge of sinking.

A popular note known as the “Battleship note,” bears a nickname that refers to the Series 1918 $2 Federal Reserve Bank note.