New Jersey Colony
Six Shillings · Bill of Credit, on the eve of independence
Historical and Issue Context
The last months under the Crown:This note was issued on March 25, 1776, just a few months before the Declaration of Independence in July of that year, still under the formal authority of King George III —making it a testament to the final months of British colonial currency in North America.
Benjamin Franklin's leaf:The reverse features the impression of a natural leaf, a leaf vein transfer technique pioneered by Benjamin Franklin and his printing partner. Each leaf has a microscopically unique vein pattern impossible to replicate by hand, making it one of the most effective anti-counterfeiting measures on colonial American paper money.
Key Details Visible on the Banknote
- Obverse:“THIS BILL of Six Shillings Proclamation, is emitted by a LAW of the Colony of NEW-JERSEY, passed in the Fourteenth Year of the Reign of his Majesty King GEORGE the Third. Dated MARCH 25, 1776.”
- Red stamped seal:circular security design in red ink on the left margin, along with the serial number and handwritten signatures of the three colonial officials.
- Reverse:detailed impression of a natural leaf in the center, with the text “Printed by Isaac Collins in New-Jersey, Burlington” and the legal warning “To counterfeit is Death”.
- Ornamental borders:rows of rosettes and geometric fretwork repeated in the four margins of both sides, typical of colonial printing typography.
Notes
1. Catalog reference according to Eric P. Newman,The Early Paper Money of America, and the Friedberg system of U.S. colonial and continental notes (designation NJ-178).
2. The technique of printing natural sheets as an anti-counterfeiting measure is widely documented as an innovation of Benjamin Franklin's printing press, adopted by several American colonies—including New Jersey—in their eighteenth-century paper money issues.
