Dated December 2, 1862, this note was almost completely worn out by the time someone got around to strengthening it with a piece of newspaper. Why would they have bothered? We know that the repair was done in 1864, because the newspaper fragment mentions Andrew Johnson, who had been chosen to be Abraham Lincoln's running mate in the upcoming Northern elections.
By 1864, a Confederate dollar bill was worth very much less than a dollar, because most people could see the bleakness of Southern prospects. But money was money, and beyond its value as a means of exchange, it represented the hopes and dreams of an aspiring nation. Apparently, this bill mattered enough for someone to go to the trouble of patching it up and sending it on its way.
But look closely: they used a Northern newspaper. If such a publication were common enough to be recycled in this way, then matters were dire indeed. Night was closing in on the Confederacy, and on its money. Both were departing the realm of real events, moving into the realm of legend.
Obverse Image: Four Orthodox characters in a pearled circle with Manchu text above and Orthodox text below; to the left and right are five-petaled flowers.
Obverse Text: KUANG / HSU / YUAN / PAO (Translation: Currency of the Kuang Hsu period; the text above and below dictates the date.)
Reverse Image: Front facing dragon in a pearled circle with eight-petaled flowers to the right and left.
