Virginia — $15 — May 5, 1777 — Payable in Spanish Milled Dollars

Updated on March 26, 2026: This has been sold.

Authorized by an Act of Assembly passed May 5, 1777. "Fifteen Spanish Milled Dollars, or their value in gold or silver . . ." . (The back is blank.)

From the Met:

"This issue has engraved border cuts with the recently revised Virginia state arms on the front showing Liberty as a soldier trampling a foe with the motto "Sic semper tyrannis" (So always to tyrants). In the motto there is a misspelling, or more correctly the use of the wrong Latin case ending of "tyrannus" for tyrannis. In the date section the month, day, and the final numeral of the year were added by hand.There was one signer on denominations of a dollar and below and two signers on higher. Denominations issued were: $ 1/6, $ 1/3, $ 2/3, $1, $4, $5, $6, $8, $10 and $15."

The note is enclosed in a 4" x 6" freestanding Lucite frame to protect the currency while allowing you to display it standing or flat. The two pieces of Lucite are held together with magnets, which makes it easy to remove the currency for a closer inspection or to frame in a different manner or to store.

Note that the manufacturer claims UV protection, but I haven't seen any technical report, so recommend keeping them out of direct sunlight.

Shipping: $10. Please allow two weeks for shipping.