STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY  £100 TREASURY CERTIFICATE ~ ADVANCE PAY TO OFFICERS, SECOND MOIETY AT 6% INTEREST JULY 20, 1779

Wonderful Printed Certificate Signed, by Henry Gardner (1731-1782) American politician who served as Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Colony of Massachusetts Bay.  Also signed by two committee members, Stephen Minot and J. Mascarence.  Ornate printed borders, and within a chain border at the bottom the warning that it is: “Death to Counterfeit This”.  Ink cancelled at Gardner’s signature. These promissory notes were issued to Revolutionary War officers as advance pay. This is the much scarcer variety, imprinted at the right vertical margin: “Advance Pay to Officers, second Moiety.”  Moiety is a long-outdated formal word meaning simply “half.” The rattlesnake vignette surrounding a pine tree [engraved by Nathaniel Hurd] at upper left adds to the eye appeal of this piece. [Anderson MA 19].  Very fine condition.   An important Treasury Certificate issued by the State of Massachusetts Bay for payment of its Revolutionary War officers and a choice items for the collector of financial Americana.

 

$995.00