Notes
The Treasury of Virginia issued this $100 bill under the governorship of Patrick Henry. Payable in silver coin, this early “C Note” was printed from a form made completely of type. Furthermore, it has an irregularly cut elaborate left-side border, making it a verifiable “indented” bill.
The note bears three signatures: James Cocke (1726–1789), Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. (1741–1793), and John Hopkins (ca. 1757–1827). Dr. James Cocke served as mayor of Williamsburg, Virginia, from 1767 to 1768 and again from 1772 to 1773. He also attended the Second Virginia Convention in March 1775, and heard Patrick Henry deliver his "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech. Dr. Cocke also served as Virginia's treasurer.
Thomas Mann Randolph Sr. married Anne Cary Randolph (1774–1837), the daughter of Archibald Cary (1721–1787). He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Revolutionary Conventions of 1775 and 1776, and the Virginia state senate in 1776. He purchased Salisbury plantation in 1777, which Patrick Henry would later rent in 1784.
John Hopkins, from Richmond, Virginia, served as a clerk in Virginia’s treasurer’s office. He was appointed commissioner of Continental loans for Virginia in 1780. He was charged with the sale of loan certificates issued by the Continental Congress, as well as the receipt and disbursement of public money. He was accused of illegally acquiring loan certificates for his own reward but was later acquitted. In 1790, George Washington reappointed Hopkins as a loan officer for Virginia.
Joseph E. Winston (1942–living), a fourth-great-grandson of Patrick Henry, donated this bill, along with a collection of others, on June 17, 2025.