Hi all, My nephew, who also happens collect coins, graduated high school a few weeks ago. He mentioned to me in passing recently that he'd like to own currency as well. I know little regarding currency, so I was hoping y'all could steer me in the right direction. Does anyone have recommendations for XF/AU 19th or early 20th century US currency that could be found for less than 500? Much appreciated, Coin Breaux
Why not put together a small-size set of the different seal colors? (gold, blue, red, green, brown) Should be doable for not too much, so long as you go for the lower denominations.
A black eagle silver certificate would be an excellent choice. You could also get a decently nice $1 1896 educational for that amount I believe. Quick edit, I was wrong on the educational for XF or better. But you can get an unc. Black eagle for that. You might even be able to get one in unc. 64 for 500, but definitely 63 EPQ. That would probably be my pick. Always a classic. Also, unc. Fractional currency is usually pretty reasonable too.
You could probably get a decent XF - AU "Black Eagle" note for around $500 - one even better than the one shown below: (Kazuma78 and I apparently had the same idea at the same time )
The 1914 $50 Federal Reserve Note would be a great choice, in my opinion. However, different signature and bank combinations might fall outside of your price range. Nonetheless, an attractive and evenly circulated note shouldn’t be all that hard to find within your budget, such as this example from eBay. Edit: However, if condition in the XF/AU range is of the utmost importance. I’d highly suggest considering a small-size National Bank Note of some sort as many high-grade examples can be had for less than $500. https://www.ebay.com/i/383438627967?chn=ps
I think you can put together a nice gift of US currency for that amount. Let's see what some of our experts say. @SteveInTampa, @mpcusa, others.
There are really to many to list, but I think your nephew would like something that is certified, you can get something nice in the $500 range I would recommend Minimum of A/U , there very eye appealing and a lot less expensive then gem if you could give me some additional parameters, I would be more then happy in helping you choose something nice.
Depends on what he is into. Someone into early US history you can get one or two nice Continental Currency's. I like the group idea. One each nice Continental, Confederate note, a couple fractional currency, and one or two large sized notes. That way he has an example of each to see what trips his trigger. No one knows what they like until they have it. Even though I collect ancients, I still pick up historically interesting pieces like Colonial and Confederate notes at times.
Steve's post made me think about a "birthday note" with either his birthdate, or the date of graduation. I would think that would be a great reminder for him.
Personally, I think that if you are taking a stab in the dark and don't know what exactly he would like, you go one of two routes: 1) Make a folder with a lot of different examples of notes. Fed Reserve, Fractional, Confederate, Large-Size, etc. You can get a lot of those examples in VF for the amount you were looking to spend. 2) You get the best example of the coolest looking note you can find. For $500 I recommend a XF 1907 $5 Woodchopper, a Fine 1899 $5 Silver Cert Chief, or a 1922 $20 Gold Certificate. But if you can find a more obscure note for the price, go for it!
