Green’s Dictionary of Slang

balsam n.

money.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1750–1882		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1833		‘A Chaunt by Slapped-up Kate and Dubber Daff’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 47: [He] looks the Corinthian — swellish and prime, / When tcick’d [sic] out for balsam rape.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 97: Balsam, rag, rhino, money.
1852		Kendal Mercury 14 Feb. 3/3: The skipper and other members of the vagabond fraternity are ‘palavering the flats for balsam’ (humbugging the people for the coppers).
1859		‘Scene in a London Flash-Panny’ Matsell Vocabulum 99: But I’m flush of the balsam now, for I dance balum-rancum for the bens.
1868		J.D. McCabe Secrets of the Great City 358: The Detectives’ Manual gives a glossary of this language [...] Balsam. – Money.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Aug. 22/1: The friars grew fat (while laymen stood / What now, in slang men call ‘Sam’) / Upon the strength of doing good / With prayer as well as Balsam.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 6: Balsam, money.
1904		Sun (NY) 10 July 29/4: Here is a genuine letter written in thieves’ slang, recently found by the English police [...] I am now flush of balsam, but on the shallow, and don’t go near the boozing kens.
1903		Bluefield Daily Tel. (WV) 8 Jan. 2/1: Money has more synonyms than any word in the English language [...] There is in use [...] shekels, wad, roll, tin, long green, grease, bones, balsam, chicken feet [sic], rhino, brass, gold and on and on.
1906		Minneapolis Jrnl (MN) 24 Jan. 19/3: Our balsam and clickman toads don’t come from the doctors or ministers.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1960		(con. 1950-1960) R.A. Freeman Dict. Inmate Sl. (Walla Walla, WA) 5: Balsam – money.