Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Unknown [Forged George Washington note and facsimile]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00496.264 Author/Creator: Unknown Place Written: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Type: Note Date: 6 January 1794 Pagination: 2 p. ; 6.2 x 16.5 cm. Order a Copy

Marked as a forgery of a note from President Washington to the cashier of the office of discount and deposit in Baltimore, Maryland. Instructs the cashier to pay [N. S.?] Ridgely $230.50. Includes a facsimile of a different note mounted on the same backing measuring 6.1 x 14.2 cm. The facsimiled note was written in Mount Vernon, Virginia, and instructs the cashier to pay William Robb $75. Entire backing including both notes measures 14.5 x 16.6 cm.

Washington, George, 1732-1799
Robb, William, fl. 1794
Ridgely, N. S., fl. 1794

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