In 1779, the British launched a secret economic war to collapse the American Revolution. Join the masked patriot Gooseberry on a high-stakes heist to destroy the counterfeit printing plates threatening a new nation’s freedom.
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Latest from the Creator
Paul Axel - American Friction Comics
8 days ago
Other Historical Fiction Comics Out There
Hey all!
We're inching ever closer to our crowdfund launch date, and I'm so thankful for your support so far. I wanted to take a moment to highlight two other projects curre...
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Paul Axel - American Friction Comics
29 days ago
The Cover!
Hi all! We've reached 30 pre-launch followers - thank you, and welcome to our new friends!
As promised, here is the fully-inked version of artist Michael Bruland's cover for...
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Paul Axel - American Friction Comics
about 1 month ago
The World of New Amsterdam
Happy Thursday, everyone! Before I get into today's post about occupied New York City, I want to welcome our new followers (hello) and urge you to find a friend or two to fol...
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Paul Axel - American Friction Comics
about 1 month ago
Process Pages!
Hello everyone! Paul here. I wanted to first thank you all for being a pre-launch follower for The New Amsterdam Game: Gooseberry's Counterfeit Caper! Having a strong start i...
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April 16, 2026:
Time for a history lesson!
During the Revolution, the British government engaged in "shoving" - what we would today call counterfeiting - fake American dollars into circulation. Most of these fake dollars were "shoved" out of New York City, which the British occupied for almost the entire duration of the war.
Closeups of two $60 notes from 1778. On the left is an authentic note issued by the Continental Congress. On the right, a counterfeit note produced by the British. Red boxes on both highlight key differences between the real and fake notes. On the real note, the dot in the 'i' in 'receive' should line up with the 'i' below it. The bottoms of the 'x' and 't' in 'Sixty' should not be lined up. The first 's' in Congress curls downward at the top, rather than pointing upward.
The British objective was to flood the colonies with bogus bills & cause massive inflation. Once the value of the dollar dropped, the nascent American government would be crippled - it would be unable to pay for its war (not that it really could already). This was seen as a legitimate warfare tactic.
The Americans responded with various anti-counterfeiting strategies: complex designs, special inks and new paper mixes. None of it worked. British counterfeits were widely accepted and, as you can tell from the image, nearly indistinguishable from real dollars.
The Brits issued hundreds of millions of bogus bucks by war's end. By the early 1780s, inflation cut the value of the dollar in *half*. Washington was so frustrated by the unceasing flow of funny money that he treated counterfeiting as a capital offense; anyone caught with large stacks was hanged. Such was the fate of David Farnsworth and John Blair, who were caught by the Americans with over $10,000 of counterfeit cash.
Fun fact: according to Futurama, Professor Hubert Farnsworth is a descendant of David Farnsworth! Check out "All the Presidents' Heads" (S6E23) for more.
America's financial bacon was saved really only through French intervention. The French brought over millions of livres in gold and silver; hard currency that could be used to pay for arms and soldiers. The US would acquire a tremendous debt to France, but that's a story for a different...musical.
The obverse and reverse of a 1781 French Louis d'Or, a gold coin of high value produced by the French. The obverse shows Louis XIV in profile - with head still attached. The reverse depicts the royal arms.
This is the historical background for my new upcoming comic, The New Amsterdam Game: Gooseberry's Counterfeit Caper. The crowdfund campaign launches on June 16, but I'm offering rewards for pre-launch followers & early bird supporters. So join the cause today!
