Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA.
shilling note
Artifact ID1985.00289.01
Object Type
Currency
Gifter
Henry F. Nelles
Maker
Isaac Collins
(Colonial American printer and publisher (1746-1817))
Date
March 25, 1776
Medium
Paper, Ink
Dimensions2 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (6.4 × 8.9 cm)
Physical DescriptionA one shilling note from the colony of New Jersey. Obverse: the arms of the British Crown on the front, lettered "ONE SHILLING No ____. THIS BILL of ONE SHILLING. Proclamation, is emitted by a Law of the Colony of New-Jersey, passed in the Fourteenth Year of the Reign of his Majesty King GEORGE the Third. Dated March 25, 1776.” Stamped and signed. Reverse has a picture of a sage leaf surrounded by an ornamental border, lettered “One Shilling. ‘Tis Death to counterfeit. BURLINGTON in NEW-JERSEY, Printed by Isaac Collins, 1776."Historical NoteThe one shilling note was printed in Burlington, NJ on March 25, 1776, just before the United States declared its Independence from Great Britain. At the time each colony printed their own paper money, using the British pound, shilling, and pence as their standards. Great Britain passed several Currency Acts regulating colonial currency, and was once source of friction between colonists and Parliament. On the back it says “Tis Death to Counterfeit.”Additional DetailsCustodial History NoteThe item was a gift from a member of the general public to President Ronald Reagan during the Reagan administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President Office of Correspondence and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January, 1989 for deposit with the Reagan Presidential Library.
National Archives Catalog CollectionRecords of the White House Gift Unit (Reagan Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6816362) and
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from the General Public (National Archives Identifier 6816363)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
Use Restriction NoteReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
Place MadeUSAIn Collection(s)
Exhibition HistoryAmerica 250 (2026), Ronald Reagan Presidential Library