Interesting Facts, Factoids, and Historical Items on Currency

GoldFinger1969

Thought a thread like that Potpourri category on "Jeopardy !" might be useful. Any interesting notes, news, tidbits, historical facts, etc...on anything dealing with currency or the bills we have posted in this currency forum....put it in this thread.

Got this interesting article from a nice writeup over at the SPMC:

1935A Silver Certificate Developments: "The 1928E was the first dollar bill to pair Julian and Morgenthau (signatures). Records are missing but it is estimated that only 3.5 million were printed. This small production small production makes it the key to the Silver Certificate series.

The bill had a short run because the dollar’s obverse was soon changed, creating the common 1934 note. While the new bill ended the promise to pay in silver dollars, that metal was still needed by the Treasury to back the notes, and the easiest way was to resume production of Peace dollars. For collectors of this series that created an additional two years of coins.

A year later it was the reverse’s turn to get a makeover. With these 1935 notes the ornate “funnyback” dollar bill ended, replaced with the familiar Great Seal design. Finally, in 1938 plate numbers were enlarged and the date, which had been in two corners, was placed only to the right of the portrait. These changes created the 1935A, the first dollar to have a design that is close to what we use today…. it has been estimated that the 1935A’s printing topped 6.1 billion. Since the entire run of all 1935-dated bills totaled just over 23 billion, this was more than a quarter of the series…..

Four denominations were issued (of Hawaii notes), although only the 1935A dollar was a Silver Certificate, the $5, $10, and $20 bills being Federal Reserve Notes......Before the November 8, 1942, landings in Casablanca and Oran troop payments were made with Silver Certificates bearing distinctive yellow Treasury seals. Surprisingly they had no other markings, and even the serial numbers stayed blue.

Nevertheless, the 1935A has the distinction of being the only dollar printed with three different Treasury seal colors."

So lots of interesting information on the 1935A: the bill in the mid-1930's is close to what we have today (except largely for SC at the top)....6 billion printed out of 23 billion from the 1935 Series....with the Hawaii and North Africa notes, there were 3 Treasury seals for the 1935A.

GoldFinger1969

From the grading section of the SC of USPM: “Keep in mind that some notes in certain series were not clean and crisp when printed. The 1935A$1 Silver Certificate is a good example of this. Many of the 1935A’s have a dirty look to the paper, some are quite limp and were so when originally issued.”

That's interesting. I'll have to look and see if I have one or if others for sale meet that description. My Hawaii PMG-67 note definitely doesn't meet that criteria. I wonder what grade they see this "dirty look" -- anybody ?