Continental Currency 1775-1779

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The Second Continental Congress of 1775, meeting in Philadelphia, authorised the issue of a paper currency to fund the Revolutionary War. Paul Revere of Boston engraved the plates for the first of these bills, which were known as Continental Currency.

Here is an interesting example of a $2 bill with an Ireland association. The bill is signed by Hercules Courtenay who was born in Newry in 1736.

[The Governor]

Do we know what position Mr. Courtenay held, as signatory?

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Hercules Courtenay was a prominent figure in Baltimore during the Revolutionary War. He acted in many roles and was authorized by the Continental Congress to assign all bills of credit or money for military purposes during the period, 1776-1782. The link provides a nice overview of his career.

http:// courtenaysociety.org/hercules.htm