Making Money from Confederacy’s Paper Heritage

People who know their history are aware that the Confederacy’s money turned to dust financially speaking long before the end of the War Between the States, so much so that southerners were reduced to burning it for warmth or papering their walls with it. Today, however, Confederate currency is highly collectible. The Confederacy’s war bonds are even collectible–and valuable.

The Confederacy desperately neededmoney for its war effort–indeed, for its very life. And so, it undertook what governments have frequently done in recent history: it printed up bonds. These instruments constituted promises to pay off, at a later date and with interest, the loan that a southerner or other “investor” had made in the Confederate States.

With the South’s defeat, most of those hopeful loans were never repaid, of course, and the bonds languished in drawers and trunks for decades.

Nowadays, the bonds that survived these many decades are prized by collectors. And, you can turn around and sell Confederate bonds (and other paper collectibles) in the online auction market for some extra spending money.

If you’ve ever seen a Confederate bond certificate, you certainly have an idea of why lots of folks are wanting them. To start with, they are quite decorative. Physically, they’re pretty large–much more imposing than a Rebel dollar bill, for instance–and extensively decorated. They look wonderful displayed on a wall. Not to mention, of course, they draw attention as a bit of our past. Most people could not afford to buy an actual Civil War firearm today, but Confederate bond certificates are within the reach of just about any history devotee.

Confederate bonds were issued in a variety of dollar amounts. They furthermore varied in terms of the inscriptions and illustrations they used.

At a time when ornamentation obtained, the Confederate bond certificates were vibrant examples artistic flourish. Along with the the terms of the certificate printed in cursive, they often included line graphics of pastoral and town scenes along with people, both realistic and mythological.

If you also decide to frame one of these Confederate bonds and display it, maybe on a study or office wall, you will often enjoy looking at it and studying it for its arresting, antique appearance. If you’re like me,, you will surely find yourself musing over what it would have been like to live during that monumental era and during those particular exciting yet tragic years.

Many Confederate bonds were in fact sold to people in Europe, especially within Britain, and not to the desperately devastated denizens of the South. My “Stonewall” bond was found in a hoard uncovered in England in the 1980s. Such hoards come to light from time to time, pushing prices down in the paper collectibles market, however, the dip is usually temporary.  Lately I’ve heard that Stonewall Jackson bonds are becoming difficult to get hold of, so I’m especially grateful that I was able to acquire one when I did.

If your interest in Confederate bonds extends beyond simply possessing them and admiring their beauty and historical aura, you will discover them to be a perfect entry ticket into what is known as “scripophily.” This is the hobby of collecting old financial certificates, which can include bank instruments, stock certificates, railroad bonds and the like.

If you wish to delve into this subject in more depth, you can find books, as well as free information on the Web concerning CSA bonds. Learn a lot about their historical background and then attend coin shows where dealers often have them for sale. If you’re just interested in the artistic aspect, you can purchase one or two of the more common examples fairly cheaply.  If you are interested in trading for profit or as a business, of course you will need to learn much more about these bonds, their various issues and how to evaluate their condition, and be prepared for the give-and-take of haggling with other knowledgeable dealers.

Now, leave it to an enterprising English woman to become the foremost authority on making good money–even earning a living–selling pieces of American paper, not only old currency and bonds but even pages ripped from old magazines.  You can discover more about her surprising eBay paper selling method here.

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