US Notes

Series & Types

The Series 1890 $1 Treasury Note: Edwin Stanton, the ‘Tombstone Note,’ and the Smallest Coin Note Denomination

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The Series 1890 $1 Treasury Note stands as one of the most visually striking and historically significant small-denomination notes ever issued by the United States Treasury, featuring Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton on its face and an ornate back design so elaborate it earned the nickname ‘Tombstone Note.’ For collectors, this Civil War-era statesman note represents a genuine crossroads of history, artistry, and numismatic rarity.

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The Series 1891 $10 Silver Certificate: Thomas Hendricks, a Dying Portrait, and One of the Lowest Survival Rates in Large-Size Currency

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The Series 1891 $10 Silver Certificate features the portrait of Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks, a fleeting design that saw limited production and catastrophic attrition over 130 years. Collectors and historians alike regard this note as one of the most challenging large-size issues to acquire in any grade, making it a genuine white whale of American paper money.

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The Series 1880 $20 United States Note: Large-Size Legal Tender Giants and Their Surviving Populations by Grade

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The Series 1880 $20 United States Note stands among the most visually commanding large-size legal tender issues ever produced, featuring multiple signature combinations, shifting seal colors, and a surviving population that tells a fascinating story of attrition and rarity. This deep-dive examines every major variety, their census populations across grades, and what collectors should know before pursuing one of these magnificent nineteenth-century giants.

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The Series 1953 $2 United States Note: Red Seals, Star Notes, and Transitional Issues Collectors Need to Know

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The Series 1953 $2 United States Note represents a pivotal chapter in American currency history, bridging the final era of large-circulation Legal Tender issues before the denomination’s eventual hiatus. From scarce star notes to the overlooked 1953C transitional printing, this guide unpacks everything collectors need to identify, grade, and value these distinctive red-seal notes.

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Gold Certificates Series 1905 $20: The Technicolor Note and Its Stunning Orange Reverse

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The Series 1905 $20 Gold Certificate stands apart from virtually every other piece of American paper money ever printed, thanks to its blazing orange reverse and brilliant golden obverse design. Collectors and historians alike consider it one of the most visually striking United States notes ever issued, and its scarcity today makes it a genuine prize for serious numismatists.

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The Series 1923 $50 Gold Certificate: Ulysses Grant’s Golden Portrait in the Final Chapter of Large-Size Currency

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The Series 1923 $50 Gold Certificate stands as one of the most visually commanding and historically significant notes ever produced by the United States Treasury, representing the last gasp of large-format currency production before the dramatic 1929 size reduction. Collectors who manage to locate a well-preserved example own a genuine artifact bridging two distinct eras of American paper money.

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Federal Reserve Notes Series 1950E $20: The Scarcest Suffix Letter of the Postwar Era Explained

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The Series 1950E $20 Federal Reserve Note represents one of the most dramatic print-run disparities in postwar American currency, with certain district issues ranking among the genuinely scarce collectibles of the mid-century era. Understanding why this series ended so abruptly, which districts are hardest to find, and how to evaluate condition are essential skills for any serious large-denomination collector.

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Federal Reserve Notes Series 2003A $1: Which Districts Issued the Lowest Star Note Print Runs and What They Sell For Today

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The Series 2003A $1 Federal Reserve Note produced some of the most dramatically uneven star note print runs in modern currency history, creating a genuine rarity hierarchy across the twelve Federal Reserve districts. Understanding which districts printed the fewest replacement notes, and why, can mean the difference between buying a $3 bill and missing a $150 one.

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Federal Reserve Notes Series 1950A $5: Signature Varieties, Star Notes, and the Districts That Printed the Fewest

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The Series 1950A $5 Federal Reserve Note is one of the most underappreciated mid-century collectibles, featuring a single signature pairing and dramatic print run disparities across the twelve Federal Reserve Districts. Whether you’re hunting star notes or chasing the low-mintage outliers from Minneapolis or Dallas, this guide gives you the data and context you need.

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The Series 1918 $2 Federal Reserve Bank Note: Collecting the Battleship Back Across All Twelve Districts

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The Series 1918 $2 Federal Reserve Bank Note is one of the most visually dramatic large-size notes ever issued, featuring a battleship on the reverse and twelve distinct district varieties that challenge even advanced collectors. This guide breaks down the signature combinations, rarity levels, and key collecting strategies for assembling a complete district set.

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