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Counterfeit & "Spurious" Notes
Illegitimate Four-Dollar Note
Dated "Aug. 1st, 1862."
Surviving counterfeits of North Carolina currency are fairly rare, certainly not as abundant as those misrepresenting Confederate issues or the notes of some sister states. This suggests that counterfeiting was not as large a problem here as elsewhere. Still, North Carolina forgeries did circulate, along with other unusual currencies, such as these $3 and $4 notes. While counterfeiters are generally known for copying authentic currency, some unscrupulous printers of the period merely concocted or made-up money. The notes they produced look official but have no legitimate counterparts. The state never issued notes of these types. Today money collectors refer to such specimens as spurious notes.

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