Whitman Publishing announces the release of volume 6 of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money, by Q. David Bowers. In 496 pages it covers the early bank currency of the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The book debuted at the FUN (Florida United Numismatists) show in January 2016, and now can be ordered from booksellers and hobby shops nationwide and online (including at www.Whitman.com), for $69.95. It can also be borrowed for free as a benefit of membership in the American Numismatic Association, through the Dwight N. Manley Numismatic Library.
The Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money is a multiple-volume study of currency issued from 1782 to 1866, before the modern era of National Banks and the Federal Reserve. Over the course of these decades more than 3,000 state-chartered banks issued their own paper money, which facilitated much of the nation’s day-to-day commerce.
In volume 6, Bowers, a well-known historian and past president of the American Numismatic Association, gives the history of 87 Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina towns and cities, as well as of every bank in those towns that issued this uniquely American currency. Each note is studied, and hundreds are pictured in full color, with information on grading, rarity, values, significant auction results, advice for collectors, and more.
“Many old Southern bank notes are out there, waiting to be discovered and identified,” says Bowers. “There are rare bills worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. At the same time, bargains abound in the marketplace, and a smart collector can build a beautiful set of historical Southern notes very affordably.”
Active collectors, researchers, dealers, historians, and other experts have volunteered their time and knowledge to help create this new encyclopedia series. The state editors are Southern States specialists Ronald Benice, Alan Dorris, Paul Horner, and Jerry Roughton. Mack Martin, a paper-money expert and award-winning exhibitor of Georgia obsolete notes, wrote the foreword to volume 6. “There has been a great deal of research done on Georgia obsolete currency over the years, but there were so many issuing agencies and so many different notes that for a long time no one was able to bring all of the information together and publish a comprehensive tome on the subject,” Martin says. “But Dave Bowers has remedied all this with the magnificent new Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money. This book must be in the library of any collector of obsolete currency.”
Whitman Senior Associate Editor Caitlyn Trautwein says, “Until now, the histories of these Southern towns and banks have not been presented in a way that is accessible for collectors. Volume 6 of the Whitman Encyclopedia changes that, as the histories have been compiled from dozens of primary and secondary sources and collated into a single invaluable resource.”
Earlier volumes of the Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money include an overview of the field, and detailed coverage of the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Future volumes will cover the rest of the South Atlantic states, plus the Mid-Atlantic states, the American Midwest, the District of Columbia, and territories.
Collectors, dealers, historians, and hobbyists interested in assisting on future volumes may contact Whitman Publishing at Obsoletes@Whitman.com.
What People Are Saying About the Whitman Encyclopedia of Obsolete Paper Money
“Bowers’s accomplishments in the field of numismatics are legendary. Every serious collector and dealer of obsolete paper money will find this vital reference the backbone to his or her collection or business.”
— C. John Ferreri, numismatic researcher and historian
“Destined to become a landmark event in the unfolding history of U.S. paper-money collecting. These works should be on the shelves of our institutions of higher education and in historical societies of all the states covered.”
— Fred Reed, former editor, Paper Money Magazine
“This encyclopedic series is designed not just for specialists and collectors of paper currency, but also for all who enjoy learning more about various aspects of our nation’s financial history.”
— Anne E. Bentley, curator of art and artifacts, Massachusetts Historical Society