United States Treasury (Al Capp Characters)
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Product Details
CompanyUnited States Treasury
Certificate Type
Savings Bond
Date Issued
Unissued, circa mid 1900's
Canceled
No
Printer
Not indicated
Signatures
NA
Approximate Size
10 1/2" (w) x 7 1/2" (h)
Images
Show the exact certificate you will receive
Guaranteed Authentic
Yes
Additional Details
Full border vignette featuring the Al Capp Schmoo character and Lil' Abner. The numerous Schmoos are meant to symbolize characteristics like Thrift, Loyalty, Trust, Duty and Truth.
Historical Context
The United States Government used pieces like this as a reward for any youngster that purchased a savings bond, therefore becoming a shareholder in the United States of America.
The Schmoo first appeared in Capp’s comic strip Li'l Abner on August 31, 1948, and quickly became a postwar national craze in the USA. An unexpected—and virtually unprecedented—postwar merchandising phenomenon followed Capp's introduction of the Shmoo in Li'l Abner. As in the strip, shmoos suddenly appeared to be everywhere in 1949 and 1950—including a Time cover story. They also garnered nearly a full page of coverage (under "Economics") in Time's International section. Major articles also ran in Newsweek, Life, The New Republic and countless other publications and newspapers. Virtually overnight, as a Life headline put it, "The U.S. Becomes Shmoo-Struck!"
The Shmoo was so popular it even replaced Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse as the face of this particular Children's Savings Bond. Al Capp accompanied President Harry S. Truman at the bond's unveiling ceremony.
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Additional Information
Certificates carry no value on any of today's financial indexes and no transfer of ownership is implied. All items offered are collectible in nature only. So, you can frame them, but you can't cash them in!
All of our pieces are original - we do not sell reproductions. If you ever find out that one of our pieces is not authentic, you may return it for a full refund of the purchase price and any associated shipping charges.