Silver Certificates
Fr. 282. 1923 $5 Silver Certificate. PCGS Banknote Choice Uncirculated 63. 1 Million Serial Number.
This incredible $5 Porthole note reenters the marketplace after a 40 year stint in a private collection. Fancy serial number A1000000B graces the face of this Silver Certificate in deep blue inks to the lower left and upper right. We can trace this remarkable one million serial number note's history back to the legendary collection of numismatic luminary Albert A. Grinnell. It was offered in Barney Bluestone's March 1945 Grinnell Collection sale where it realized $13! Its last public offering came in an April 1980 Kagin's sale where it realized a then eye popping $1500. Clearly the importance of this note was evident even then. Just 6,316,000 $5 Portholes were issued leading to their undeniable scarcity as a type. Few "fancy" serial numbers are known to collectors. The serial number 1 example is unrecorded in the census. A few single digit and two digit serial number notes are known and have traded hands. This is the only million serial number note known. The note itself is vividly inked and exceptionally detailed. Full margins and creamy white paper are displayed throughout the note. This is the last design type for large-size $5 Silver Certificates. It is a one-number type seen only with the Speelman-White signature combination. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln is found at center framed inside a heavy circular feature resembling the porthole of a ship. Lincoln's portrait was engraved by BEP engraver Charles Burt, based on a photograph by Anthony Berger. The back is executed in green and features the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States at center. This is an outstanding note which should appeal to a broad range of collectors. Large size fancy serial number notes are few and far between and having such a unique number on an iconic design type makes this a truly special note.
Estimate: $8000 - $12000