Favorite Unobtainable U.S. Currency Note

Discussion in 'Paper Money' started by WingedLiberty, Apr 15, 2011.

  1. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member

    This note has always been #1 on my list of favorites in the U.S. currency note 'small-size subclass'. I have always found this bill very compelling and never get tired of looking at it. I actually had a digital copy made for me a few years back. I've been thinking about having it framed and hanging it on my wall.

    I love the way this looks: from the seriousness of Wilson, the Gold Certificate seal, the bright orange back, and of course all those 0's.

    This bill just speaks the year "1934" to me. Money was really wonderful back then (with Silver and Gold Coins in circulation) and Gold and Silver Certificates for currency. Although I think all gold coins were recalled in 1933? Funny that this bill is dated 1934, even though the gold coins were recalled the previous year.

    US100000_Obv.jpg
    US100000_Rev.jpg

    Some fun facts:

    1. The 1934 $100,000 Dollar Gold Certificate is the highest U. S. denomination currency note ever made.
    2. Only 42,000 were printed.
    3. These notes were used only for transactions between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department; and were never issued for public circulation.
    4. When the U.S. Government stopped using them in the early 1960s, most were destroyed. Only a few are known to have survived.
    5. The surviving notes are housed at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Smithsonian Institute.
    6. It's illegal for a private person to own one of these notes, and none has ever been in private hands. All 42,000 were accounted for when they were collected (and almost all burned).
    You know I think the Treasury Department is stupid sometimes. They could have just issued a blanket cancellation on this series, and then sold the bills to collectors for $500 each. That could have put $21 million dollars in their coffers. I am sure there were 42,000 currency collectors out there that would cough up some bucks a have a piece of this history. Instead they burn them -- what a waste.
     
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  3. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    You missed another "fun fact": if one could have legally presented one of these bills in exchange for gold (at the legally-defined rate of $35/oz), that gold today would be worth almost $4.25 million dollars.
     
  4. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member

    jeffB ... that's a great added "fact" ... i love it
     
  5. Ripley

    Ripley Senior Member

    I would like the Confederate $5 bill, that Lincoln had in his pocket. When he was assasinated.
     
  6. ziggy9

    ziggy9 *NEC SPERNO NEC TIMEO*

    Here's mine :} :}

    million2.JPG
     
  7. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member

    Great photo!!

    Lincoln had a confederate bill in his pocket????
     
  8. krispy

    krispy krispy

  9. coleguy

    coleguy Coin Collector

    I have so many unobtainable notes in my want list that this server would crash if I tried listing them all. In reality, some of my favorite notes end up being the cheaper buys, like my small collection of obsoletes where maybe a few dozen exist anywhere that I can buy for less than $40.
    Guy
     
  10. krispy

    krispy krispy

    Here's another close up of Ziggy's ;) $1,200,000 uncut sheet of $100,000 notes that travels around pretty regularly to the coin and currency conventions and expos...

    [​IMG]

    That's not me...
    [AP photo source and link]
     
  11. RickieB

    RickieB Expert Plunger Sniper

    Since these notes were never circulated in a Public arena..I would say the Grand Watermelon Note would be nice to have in CHCU...:D :D :devil:

    RickieB
     
  12. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member


    I hear you RickieB! We could all retire with that one.
    How many million did that sell for?

    It's funny but it took me a few minutes to figure out the watermelon reference.
    The zeros on the back look like ... you know what!

    Watermelon_Note.jpg
     
  13. floirdatinman

    floirdatinman New Member

    sorry to but in on this one .....but the pic of the watermelon note looked funny to me so i looked it up in the red book and it shows the face of that note with a large seal not a small seal. i tryed to find one on the net but no luck not even the bee bee colt, has one of them
    as for me i would like to find a 1918 500 dollar note the detail of the back gets to me every time i look at it
     
  14. krispy

    krispy krispy

    1890 $1,000 “Grand Watermelon” Red Seal United States bank note (Fr.379b)

    "A world’s record price of $2,255,000 was paid for this note..." read on at Coin Link.com
     
  15. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member

    cool reference on Lincoln, krispy!
     
  16. floirdatinman

    floirdatinman New Member

  17. ronterry

    ronterry New Member

    Was going to post a photo of the one I saw at the Smithsonian American History, but an uncut sheet is hard to beat!
    I actually saw both WW notes in DC on the same trip. The other one is in the BEP gift shop, and yes I thought about grabbing it and hauling tail but there's no where to go easily in that town!

    All what the heck...

    IMG_2321.jpg

    IMG_2349.jpg
     
  18. WingedLiberty

    WingedLiberty Well-Known Member

    wow thanks for posting those photos ... i really need to get down there and see that exhibit
     
  19. jmf2737

    jmf2737 New Member

    Me too. I have to get to DC and watch how money is made. Nice photos here.
     
  20. ronterry

    ronterry New Member

    First two are the B.E.P., and the rest are American History...
    Warning, if you take a camera you best have a FAST lens or a tripod! You'll also need to create a custom white balance shot or shot in RAW like I do... All that and my photos are still iffy! Very dark in those places.
    BTW: I used a Canon 20D w/24mm L f/1.4... All shot in RAW, using Photoshop to develop.
    Oh and NO camera's on the BEP tour! Heck they didn't like me shooting the loby...

    IMG_2143.jpg IMG_2166.jpg IMG_2353.jpg IMG_2351.jpg IMG_2350.jpg
     
  21. ronterry

    ronterry New Member

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