COLONIAL NOTE ADDED TO FORT MOULTRIE EXHIBIT

In the Spring 2016 issue of The C4 Newsletter published by the Colonial Coin Collectors Club, Ray Williams had an article about the 1778 ten shilling note from South Carolina. He also published a shorter piece in the October Numismatist from the American Numismatic Association.

The note that inspired his articles is now on display at a museum in that state. Below is a message Ray posted to the colonial coin Yahoo group on November 11, 2016. -Editor

I think you all have read my article about the Battle of Fort Sullivan (later named Fort Moultrie) being portrayed behind the Palm Tree in the vignette of the 10s SC 1778 bill. Attached are two pictures of an exhibit at Fort Moultrie, which now contains that bill I pictured in the C4N article.

When Diane and I visited Fort Moultrie in September, no one even knew about the bill. I had brought mine with me to show them. I donated the bill to the museum and they were thrilled to have it. I was sent these pictures by Dawn Davis at the museum. I hope some numismatists will wander thru the museum and enjoy the bill.

Kudos to Ray for his thoughtful donation. It benefits not just the numismatists who view the exhibit, but all museum visitors and helps promote numismatics (both study and collecting) far beyond our own little clubs.

I'm a little surprised that museum staff didn't remove the note from its modern third-party grading holder. That detracts from the experience a bit. Nevertheless, the note is a great artifact and drives home the point that the Fort is not just a Civil War locale, but one that has been active since the time of the revolution. Here's an image of the note itself. -Editor

The note is called a remainder on the slab. As with New Jersey bills, I suspect South Carolina applied just one signature to their bills, and only applied the second signature when the bill was placed into use.

The battle of Fort Sullivan (later called Fort Moultrie) was important in that the Patriot victory prevented the British from capturing Charleston for about another four years.

Diane and I were on vacation in South Carolina in September. After visiting Fort Sumter (very worthwhile), we drove to Fort Moultrie. I had hoped to make the visit and brought my Palmetto Bill with me. When we entered the museum, there was a young park ranger to greet us. I asked if there was a curator on staff that day, to which she asked if I had something to show. She made a call and an associate curator came to the front.

I showed both of them the bill, describing the battle of Fort Sullivan being pictured behind the Palm Tree. The Patriot fort to the left, firing on the British fleet, which was returning fire on the right. I also let them know this was the ONLY Revolutionary battle portrayed on a colonial bill. Their eyes were like saucers!

The young man escorted Diane and me to an adjacent office building where we were introduced to Dawn Davis, a National Park Service representative. We shared the story with her and she was fascinated. I offered to lend the bill to the museum for an exhibit. Dawn took us back to the museum and showed us the case where it would be displayed. There is paperwork and procedure to follow with museums. In the mean time, I had a change of heart and decided to donate the bill rather than lend it.

I learned about this bill in the ANA's Summer Seminar, where I attended the course on colonial paper money, instructed by John Kraljevich & Erik Goldstein. After Erik showed an example of this bill and talked about the battle it portrayed, I decided I gotta get me one!

I know of one friend attending the release of the Fort Moultrie Quarter next week. Hopefully others will see the bill on display in the museum.