Values of Colonial and Continental Currency

Before going any further, please compare your money to a list of known reproductions. 95% of the colonial and continental currencies we see are actually reproductions. If the serial number on your bill matches the serial number on this list of reproductions then what you have is fake.

Early American paper money is separated into two different categories. There are colonial issues and there are continental issues. Colonial money was issued by individual colonies. Continental currency was issued by the newly formed Continental Congress. Colonial currency was issued as early as 1690. Continental money was issued from 1775 until 1779.

Unfortunately, most colonial and continental currency is not especially valuable. There are few things from the 18th century that are more affordable today than the paper money of the day. Something being old does not always make it valuable. However, there certainly are some highlights to look out for.

First off, any note signed by a famous patriot will be especially collectible. In many cases an obscure signor might be more valuable than something like a Paul Revere signature. It all depends on the rarity and quality of the signature.

The rarest note from the Continental currency series is the May 10th 1775 $20 note. These were specially issued by Benjamin Franklin on a marbled edge paper. All monies issued for April 11, 1778 are fairly valuable if they are in nice condition. Some of the May 20, 1777 issues are rare. The fractional issues of February 26, 1776 also have the chance to be valuable.
In addition to the dates mentioned above, continental currency was also printed for:

November 29, 1775
May 9, 1776
July 22, 1776
November 2, 1776
May 20, 1777
September 26, 1778

You can contact us for exact pricing on any of your continental currency.  admin@oldcurrencyvalues.com

We have specific guides for each state that issued Colonial Money.  You can access that information by clicking the state below.

Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Vermont
Virginia