1870 Dominion of Canada 25-cent Shinplaster, Dickinson-Harrington, in Acrylic Display

1870 Dominion of Canada 25-cent Shinplaster, Dickinson-Harrington, in Acrylic Display

Shinplasters, in the 19th century, were low-value paper banknotes, which came into circulation due to widespread metal currency shortages. The nickname comes from vinegar-soaked bandages that were used as a cheap and easy remedy for sores -- "plaster," in this context, meaning "bandage". Soldiers would stuff these in their boots to ease the chafing on their feet and shins. When low-denomination banknotes started circulating in early 19th-century America, the joke was that they were more valuable as bandages for sores than as actual money. The nickname jumped to Canadian 25-cent shinplasters in 1870.

The 1870 shinplaster was the first paper banknote produced by the Dominion of Canada. This example is in extremely good condition, pressed as it is inside a protective acrylic display.