US Notes

G.F.C. Smillie

Crosshatching and Stippling in US Currency Portraits: The BEP’s Master Engravers and the Art of Tonal Depth

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The Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s master craftsmen spent decades perfecting the intaglio techniques of crosshatching and stippling to render lifelike portraits on American banknotes. Understanding these methods transforms how collectors evaluate engraving quality and helps explain why certain notes command significant premiums.

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Engraved Portraits on US Currency: How BEP Artists Transformed Photographs into Steel

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The hand-engraved portraits on American banknotes represent one of the most demanding artistic disciplines ever applied to government printing, with master craftsmen spending thousands of hours cutting a single face into a steel die. Understanding this process, and the artists behind it, gives collectors a deeper appreciation for the notes in their hands and the specific varieties that make certain issues especially desirable.

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