Naramore Anti-Counterfeiting Bank Note Detector Card
Robert C. Naramore got special permission on July 19, 1866 to photograph the obverse designs of circulating United States Treasury Notes and National Banknotes. The Obverse Designs were photographed without their Seals and Serial Numbers and the reproductions had to be 25% of the original size. Naramore actually photographed Proof Impressions that were pulled from the actual Steel Printing Plates! This was the first time that United States Currency was allowed to be photographed for distribution to the public. The primary purpose of these Photo Cards were to be used to detect Counterfeit Banknotes which were heavily mixed in with circulating currency at that period of time. This Government permission was only granted for a very short period of time before the permission was rescinded.
Here is a description that I found on the internet:
“Because of rampant counterfeiting in the 1860s, Secretary of Treasury Hugh McCulloch (1808-1895) made an unprecedented decision to allow Robert C. Naramore (1829-1895) to photograph legal tender in all denominations from $1.-$1,000. According to Treasury, the photographs would be published at one-quarter of the size, and then they could be used to detect counterfeit bills. The photographs were published by the American Photograph Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. There were eighteen photographs that were either mounted on a single sheet as a poster or individually mounted on cards”.
This single Naramore Card depicts a $5.00 Legal Tender 1862 Banknote; The card measures 2-7/16 inches tall x 3-7/8 inches across. The actual photograph measures 1-7/16 inches tall x 3-5/16 inches wide and was hand pasted to this beige card. The card has a gilted edge gold frame which retains its metallic look and is approximately .026 thick! The corners of this card are ever so slightly rounded, but not bumped. The card does show some light staining on the reverse but it in a very nice state of preservation for a card that is 158 years old! Please look at the scans carefully and judge the condition for yourself before bidding!
On the reverse of the photograph card is the following:
A
SOUVENIR
OF THE
UNITED STATES TREASURE NOTES
AND
NATIONAL BANK NOTES,
By Photographic Copies of the Circu-
lating Notes issued by
ACT OF CONGRESS,
Taken from Proof Impressions on file in the
U.S. Treasury Depar't.
Published by permission of
Hon. H. McCullough,
Sec'y U.S. Treasury.
PUBLISHED BY THE
AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPH CO.
BRIDGEPORT,
Conn.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866,
by R.C. Naramore, in the Clerk’s Office of
the Dist. Court of Connecticut.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I will only ship to confirmed Ebay addresses within the United States.
I will ship this item via USPS First Class Mail with Tracking in the United States.
New Jersey Sales Tax = 6.625%
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you need better photos of the item, Bob [201] 843 1450 EBAY: Vette70
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