This is a rare contemporary advertisement from 1876. We've seen only one other "R. Liddle" note in a stained VG conditions listed for $2500. Our note is PMG certified ABOUT UNCIRCULATED condition!!
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THE DECATUR COIN & JEWELRY (CONFEDERATE) HOARD:
Rarely, in any collecting field, does an opportunity arise to acquire fresh material that has never been in the market. This is the story, of such a group of paper money that has now been saved and will be entering the collector pool. These notes are designated The Decatur Coin and Jewelry Hoard so future collectors will know their origin and background.
The group of Confederate notes was purchased from a couple in the Decatur, Illinois area when they down-sized after being retired for a while. The gentleman (who is around 80 years old) stated that his grandfather acquired the notes but never did anything with them. They were then passed to his father and then to him. Neither his father nor he did anything with them either, until the stack of loose notes was brought in to us! It seems these notes haven’t seen the light of day for possibly a century!
Now things get even more interesting! Some of the notes also have a contemporary advertisement from 1876! The business was called R. Liddle’s and was a hardware and household goods merchant. Their ads list everything from stoves to tin ware as well as china to bird cages. We found mention of the business in the “Decatur Daily Republican” and the “Decatur Herald” from 1872-1884. We’re not sure about before or after this time.
The establishment was located in downtown Decatur, Illinois at No. 1 and No.2 Court House Block, on S. Water St., opposite the “Republican Newspaper” office. On top of that, it seems these notes were used as coupons or gift certificates for R. Liddle’s 4th of July sale during the United States Centennial! Some pieces even state July, 1876. These are truly historic notes that give us a look into life in central Illinois during the post-Civil War reconstruction era.
After becoming aware of all of this, we decided to have the group certified for academic and numismatic reasons as well as noting the groups’ origin. Then another surprise came when they turned out to be contemporary counterfeits and the $50’s are Havana counterfeits! Of course, now it’s known that the Havanas’ were made in Cuba but some sources/catalogues listed them as genuine at least through 1915. Wow! So much history and intrigue!
A final note to the reader: Some notes are graded by PCGS and some are graded by PMG. PCGS allowed us to have Decatur Coin and Jewelry Hoard on the holder, PMG did not!!?? Therefore the PMG notes have a label put on them by us in house. Also, PCGS did not designate the Havanas’ specifically so a label noting this is also applied by us.
We are PCGS, NGC & CAC Authorized Dealers and GIA Qualified Diamond graders.
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