The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 21, May 19, 2002, Article 12

THIAN ALBUM DISCOVERY ACCOUNT

  The May/June 2002 issue of Paper Money, The Official
  Journal of the Society of Paper Money Collectors
  features articles on Confederate currency.  An article by
  the late Brent Hughes, "The Night We Found Treasure"
  chronicles his discovery and purchase of a Thian
  Confederate note album containing a complete type set
  of Confederate currency.   The album belonged to the
  descendants of a man who had worked in the U.S. Treasury
  Department during and after the Civil War.  The family had
  once owned TWO such albums, but one had been stolen
  by a maid.  Hughes ultimately purchased the other album.

  "I opened the cover and read the first page: "Confederate
  Note Album for a Complete Collection of the Various
  Designs for Face and Back Selected by the Confederate
  Treasury Authorities for the Currency of the Confederate
  States of America, 1861-1865."

  I could hardly believe it.  Could this be a complete set of
  Confederate notes contained in this small book?  I turned
  the page and saw the copyright notice: "Entered, According
  to an Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by Raphael P. Thian,
  in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D.C."

  Then I flipped through pages 6 through 45 which had detailed
  descriptions of the design types.  Finally I came to the pages
  reserved for the notes, each of which held a note suspended by
  two vertical loops of sewing thread.  An ornate printed frame
  surrounded each note.

  The light in the attic was not bright, but it was good enough
  that note number one, the beautiful $1000 Montgomery
  Note fairly jumped off the page.  The green ink was vivid; the
  engraving exquisite.  It was the first Montgomery Note I had
  seen and I felt my stomach tighten.  The next page held a
  $500 Montgomery Note followed by a $500 "Stonewall
  Jackson" note of the February 17, 1864 issue.  Thian had
  chosen to arrange the notes by denomination rather than
  date."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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