Counterfeit Detection: Continental Currency $60 Counterfeit Detector

During the Revolutionary War, the nascent American government issued paper currency in a series of emissions authorized from 1775 to 1779. It didn't take long for inflation to set in, caused by the massive amount of currency that was printed and compounded by successful British counterfeiting operations. Authorized in 1778, the penultimate emission of Continental Currency included a $60 note, the highest denomination to date.

Today, paper money collectors have access to this particular note in several ways. According to the PMG Population Report, the most common is a genuine example, followed by Contemporary Counterfeits (which PMG, at its sole discretion, certifies for certain catalog numbers with intense collector interest). The third option is Counterfeit Detector notes, which were created to help American officials in the Revolutionary War weed out the British counterfeits.

Let's take a look at an example of each of these, as well as a fourth note that had an unusual twist for a Counterfeit Detector note.

1778 $60 - Genuine (CC-86)

Genuine Continental Currency 1778 $60 Click images to enlarge.

As of mid-August 2026, 187 genuine issued examples are listed in the PMG Population Report, with a median grade of PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine. Examples generally sell for several hundred dollars, but the rare survivors in Uncirculated condition can realize more than $1,000 at auction. The example pictured here is part of a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2026.

1778 $60 - Contemporary Counterfeit (CC-86CT)

Contemporary Counterfeit of Continental Currency 1778 $60 Click images to enlarge.

The same PMG Population Report snapshot shows 30 Contemporary Counterfeits, with a median grade of PMG 55 About Uncirculated — indicating that many circulated widely. These notes generally sell for amounts comparable to their genuine counterparts, thanks to their history and strong collector demand.

A Contemporary Counterfeit example (with the same grade as the genuine note above: PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated) is also featured in a Heritage Auctions sale in September 2026. This counterfeit has common indicators on the obverse that reveal it to be a fake, including the lack of alignment of the lower-case 'i' in the words 'receive' and 'milled'. (See others, with images, in this previous PMG Counterfeit Detection column.) Additionally, on the left side of the back of this particular note, the ampersand is unexpectedly close to the word 'Sellers'.

1778 $60 - Counterfeit Detector (CC-86DT)

Continental Currency 1778 $60 Counterfeit Detector Click images to enlarge.

Counterfeit Detector notes were distributed to try to assist those encountering fakes in commerce. The PMG Population Report lists 11 examples of this particular catalog number, with a median grade of PMG 55 About Uncirculated. These were printed on blue paper, and the example shown here is the top example graded by PMG. It realized $6,600 in a Heritage Auctions sale in November 2023. Counterfeit Detector examples can be found in lower grades for a few hundred dollars as well as in sheets showing all eight denominations, which can sell for several thousand dollars.

Continental Currency 1778 $60 Counterfeit Detector with added signatures and serial number Click images to enlarge.

PMG recently certified a Counterfeit Detector note with an interesting twist, which is noted on the back of the certification label. These notes are supposed to lack a serial number and signatures, but take a close look at this particular Counterfeit Detector (which can be found in the same Heritage sale as the first two notes in this article). Someone added these features, almost certainly in an attempt to take what had been a tool against counterfeiting and to use it as a counterfeit!

Well before the Revolutionary War ended, Continental Currency had lost widespread acceptance in commerce, and the last emission, authorized in 1779, brought the series to a close. "Not worth a Continental" became synonymous with worthless at the time, but interest from the numismatic community over the years has restored value to these notes.

Many other catalog numbers of Continental Currency are represented in the PMG Population Report with genuine, Contemporary Counterfeit, and Counterfeit Detector examples. If you are unsure about which you have, remember that PMG backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the PMG Guarantee.