Brick label. Before the days of shrink-wrap, forty straps (4000 notes) of new currency would be placed between two wooden blocks, with a label like this on one end. The whole stack would be bound together with a couple of steel bands (it looks like you can still see the impressions from then on the wood a bit), and then wrapped in brown paper, with a second copy of basically the same label pasted on the outside. The label is probably worth a few bucks to somebody. If it had the first and last notes from the brick along with it, it'd be a "label set"; for a time such sets were somewhat popular to collect.
Yes, it's a brick label as Numbers said. Today you'll see 10 BEP straps in shrink-wrap for 1000 consecutive notes. Your label says "4,000 5$ 1977A 20,000$" H47148001A - H47152000A No fancy serials in that range. What a boring brick.
I have a similar brick label I purchased at Memphis sometime around the 1980's. I put in in a box and it has stayed there all this time. Not sure what I will do with it.
Back in the day, the BEP used end labels pasted to wood plates to hold 4,000 note bricks together. They eventually changed, and eliminated the wood plates, and went with shrink wrap.....but they still use end labels. Early version label on wood plate, with first and last note. A more recent paper end label with bar code, with first and last note.
I had a buddy who was manager of a bank branch. This was in the era of the wooden "ends" for the bricks of 4000 notes and they tended simply to throw these in the trash can in the vault. Since they didn't want the tellers getting hurt cutting the metal straps, the BEP had switched to fiberglass strapping, from metal bands. Every time I went to visit one of my safe deposit boxes in said vault, they would let me take any of the brick ends in said trash can. So I have a medium-sized box full of those, with some of the reverse images of the bills they once held. Does anyone have an idea of the surrent value and who might deal in these?
I have not seen the end labels for sale without the first and last note included. I do not know a value, nor do I know anyone that deals with these.
Steve, Acquiring the actual first and last notes was not an option at the time, unfortunately, as they already had been disbursed to the tellers. Did not even have the spare change - beyond what I needed to maintain or grow the coin collection - but I was also renovating a house over the same period of time. Some of the best coins sacrificed themselves for that house.
Recently, a fair number of brick ends have been offered on eBay. I did buy a few, but many people offering them have a somewhat inflated idea (in my lights) about their value. I, in turn, sold a lot consisting of one series 1976 $2 bill sealed in plastic (not my choice, I got it that way) from the Richmond FRB with a first day of issue cancellation at the Pentagon AND a top brick end from that series note from Richmond. Just not the brick which would have included the note. Given what the FDI notes sell for, I figure I was given close to $18 for the brick end. I'd guesstimate the value for a common brick end would be roughly $3-5 for a top with label and $1-2 for a bottom without a label.
Personally, I have no interest in the labels when they do not include the first and last note from the brick.
SteveInTampa, Understood. That is some of the attraction of collecting, whether coins, stamps or matchbook covers. Not everyone has the same taste, and that makes for interest by person 1 in something person 2 is willing to part with at what person 2 considers a great price and person 1 considers a bargain. They each may even feel they "pulled one over" on the other.
