The SilverTowne Vault Blog

100 Greatest American Currency Notes Series: F.E. Spinner Portrait and Signature 50c Fractional Currency, Third Issue

Published 01/15/2025

Like many pieces of old currency, some denominations just do not seem real. Last time in our blog series covering Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest American Currency Notes, we talked about a $500 Legal Tender Note from the early 1860s. By today’s standards, that is unheard of. In this most recent entry, we go to the opposite end of the denomination spectrum and revisit one of the most significant pieces of Fractional Currency from the 1860s and 1870s with help from authors Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman.

#51 – F.E. Spinner Portrait and Signature 50¢ Fractional Currency, Third Issue

While there were many Fractional and Postage Currency notes in the 1860s and 1870s ranging from 3¢ to 50¢ denominations, the third issue of the F.E. Spinner Portrait and Signature 50¢ Fractional note is perhaps the most significant due to the portrait on the face...read more