JSG ESTATE LIQUIDATION

An exceptional piece of American pre-Revolutionary history, this is an authentic 1774 Maryland Colonial Currency note for Eight Dollars, serial number 11,020, dated April 10th, Anno Domini 1774, and issued in Annapolis, Maryland by Act of Assembly. The obverse features the classic indented bill format with elaborate woodcut border designs including figural vignettes of colonial-era figures at left, ornate floral and scroll borders, and the full legal text stating the bearer is entitled to receive Bills of Exchange payable in London, or Gold and Silver at the rate of Four Shillings and Six-pence Sterling per Dollar. Two period manuscript signatures appear boldly across the lower portion, reading 'Upham' and 'Madis' (or similar), which were the authorized signatories required to validate each note individually — a standard anti-counterfeiting measure of the era. The reverse displays the iconic nature-printed leaf pattern, a sophisticated anti-counterfeiting technique pioneered in colonial America, with the printed text 'EIGHT DOLLARS. Equal to 36s Sterling' and 'Printed by A.C. and F. Green, Annapolis' — the Green family being the prominent colonial printers and publishers of the Maryland Gazette. This note was issued just two years before the Declaration of Independence, during a period of escalating colonial tensions with Britain, making it a significant artifact of American monetary and political history. Maryland colonial currency of this April 1774 issue is catalogued in standard colonial currency references (Newman) and is actively collected by numismatists specializing in colonial Americana. Condition is Good to Very Good for its 250+ years of age: the paper retains good structural integrity with natural tanning/browning consistent with period rag paper, the printed text and signatures remain legible and bold, there is light soiling and toning throughout, some edge irregularity and minor fraying consistent with circulation, a small notch/tear to the upper right corner of the reverse, and general creasing across the note — no tears through the body, no missing sections, and both faces display clearly. An extraordinary survivor from colonial America and a centerpiece-quality addition to any early American numismatic or historical collection.