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Confederate Items

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Chemicograph Backs Intended For Confederate Currency
Grade: AU/UNC    

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This envelope contains one set of six SDC Chemicograph backs $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $500, printed in colors on bond paper with wide margins. The six prints were struck from "Chemicograph" plates ordered by the Treasury Department of the Confederate State of America from S. Straker and Sons, engravers, London, England. The plates were intended to be used for printing backs of notes of the February 17, 1864 issue. Shipments of plates were made from London early in January, 1864, but all disappeared. Only after about three-quarters of a century were plates located to complete a set of all six denominations which is believed to be unique. Because of the importance of these historic Chemicograph plates, they were given to the Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, Washington, D.C. Prior to that the donor had a limited number of sets of prints struck from the plates. On the reverse of each SDC print will be found "Printed from a genuine S. Straker & Sons London plate" and the circular seal "SDC". These identify the prints as authentic impressions from the Smithsonian plates and certify them as genuine backs of an SDC set.

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