(RHODE ISLAND) Group of 5 pieces of the controversial 1786 R

Sale 2633 - Lot 150

Unsold

Estimate: $ 1,200 - $ 1,800

(RHODE ISLAND.) Group of 5 pieces of the controversial 1786 Rhode Island state paper currency. Printed notes, each about 4 x 2 3/4 inches and signed by Samuel Allen in black and Job Comstock in red as members of the Grand Committee, blank on verso as issued; minimal toning and wear. Newport, RI, May 1786

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Set of four notes numbered by hand 11,593: Six Pence, Nine Pence, One Shilling, and Two Shillings & Six Pence. Also a Nine Pence note numbered 11,467.

This 1786 issue of banknotes sparked enough resistance among the people of Rhode Island to trigger a state Supreme Court case of enduring interest, Trevett v. Weeden. The state's General Assembly had passed laws mandating that paper currency be accepted as legal tender, with offenders not granted a jury trial or right of appeal. The laws were in direct contradiction to the state's own constitution. A butcher named Weeden was charged with refusing the inflationary paper currency, and his counsel convinced the court to refuse to enforce the unconstitutional legislation. This case was later cited as precedent in the 1803 United States Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, which established the principle of judicial review. See Kurt Graham, "To Bring Law Home: The Federal Judiciary in Early National Rhode Island," pages 24-27. The shilling in particular remains unpopular in Rhode Island to this day.