Twenty-five-pound note, issued March 6, 1776, engraved, designed by James Oliphant, Charleston: Peter Timothy, March 6, 1776.
On March 6th, South Carolina’s Second Provincial Congress authorized the printing of £750,000 in paper currency to fund preparations for war with Britain. Among the larger denominations was this twenty-five-pound note, designed and engraved onto copper plates by Charleston jeweler James Oliphant (fl. 1767-1777) and printed by Peter Timothy (1724-1782), the colony’s official printer. Engraving provided both durability and intricate detail, helping deter counterfeiting during a time of economic uncertainty. Timothy, a staunch supporter of independence and publisher of The South-Carolina Gazette, later paid a heavy price for his patriotism—he was captured by the British during the 1780 Siege of Charleston, charged with treason, and imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida.