SEG Presentation: Vignette prints of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing

Yes, it does. And I notice another French term used is "Chine Applique" which might imply one piece of paper applied to another.

So as a visual example, here is a French India proof. The India paper was cut a little smaller than the printing plate, but you can see the impression from the plate and the thin paper is (mostly) adhered to the card stock.

 

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This was a great thread and I wanted to find out if this is still going on?
BTM

 

If you mean, is the BEP still selling portrait and vignette prints to the public, the answer is yes and no. They no longer offer most of the ones found on early U.S. notes. But they do sell some historical vignettes of well known buildings around DC and elsewhere, many of which appear on small size currency. They used to sell all the presidential portraits, but now they only offer the current President (Obama is still posted). And they have portraits of all the chief justices available -- you'll recognize John Marshall from several large size notes. Pretty reasonable prices; $5 apiece for most prints.



It would be interesting to test whether the 1879 act of Congress is still in place, allowing the sale of any engravings from the stock of the BEP. But you would have to officially represent a library or art association and you'd have to make the request directly to the Secretary of the Treasury. My guess is unless you had some political clout or knew someone personally, the request would be politely turned down.

 

Seems strange that the prints on India paper laid up on card stock are cheaper than just on India paper alone - maybe the extra care needed to handle the fragile India paper only prints was the reason. And for absolutely no reason, here is the oldest autographed BEP portrait print I have. Delano [pronounced DEL-an-o, like FDR's middle name] was Grant's Sec of Interior; apparrently not corrupt himself, but failed to prevent corruption by his subordinates. The city of Delano CA [pronounced De-LAY-no] is named for him.

 

Nice Delano portrait! And a real autograph, too! Most of these I see are printed signatures.

 

uuuhhh no I was making a reference to the group of people who participated in these threads.
I really enjoyed that, so much in fact, I looked up other one's and actually got a lesson in several areas. just so very cool all of the paper money guru's. I never had a clue.

 

Ah, I misinterpreted. The SEG (Security Engraving Group) was active when I first discovered this forum about 7 years back. But two key members have passed on and the wind went out of the sails a few years ago. I think most of the SEG members still lurk and post occasionally. Unfortunately, the majority of our forum newbies seem mostly interested in serial number patterns and error notes.

Any obscure bank note topics you're curious about, BTM? It might be time to post some new threads.

 

I have another couple vignettes to post. Pretty much my entire collection is on this thread, so I might as well keep going.

The first is an actual working proof, evidenced by the impression number on the back. This is miscellaneous die 11938, “Birthplace of Washington, Wakefield,” engraved in 1930 by Louis S. Schofield. Proof 593964 was pulled on May 1, 1939. I'm not sure what it was used for, but 1939 was the sesquicentennial of Washington's first inauguration.

The other is a very early vignette called "Harvesting." This was one of the first works done at the Bureau, engraved in 1869 by W.H. Earle. It was used in cropped versions on several taxpaid revenue stamps from the period.

 

I picked up a couple engraved portraits last week (just posted Sherman on the banknote vignette thread). The other is of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. This one has no printer's insignia, but it shows up on the list of BEP portraits and it matches the engraving included in Bureau portrait and vignette specimen books.

 

Darryl I saw this posted on Ebay today and thought of you. Look interesting?

 

Do you know if that image is on any currency of the time ?

 

That's actually not a BEP portrait, it was engraved for American Bank Note Co. But it relates to an award that USS656 won a while back. I imagine it was used on stocks or bonds, possibly foreign currency. If I can find a usage I'll post it.

 

Awesome ! always like a pretty face

 

I picked this one up on Ebay recently without knowing who produced it. It was inexpensive and I liked the design. When it arrived I was delighted to find a blue impression number on the back, which indicates it is a BEP proof. The Bureau's Historic Research Center confirmed this: It is die #6098, titled “Ornamental Panel,” engraved by Charles Chalmers in 1903. I haven't found a usage yet, but I suspect it appeared on a Treasury bond or some type of certificate of merit.

 

I wish I had seen this when you posted it

 

Very nice find!

 

It kind of ties in to one of my other old threads: Banknote Building Blocks.

 

Three very nice BEP vignettes arrived today! These were not cheap, but each one is significant so I decided to splurge.

The first is the battleship USS Maine. This appears on an 1898 Spanish-American War bond, so it would have been engraved not long after the Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, which led to the war.





Next is Ponce De Leon. This statue still stands in St. Augustine, Florida. My vignette is a progress proof that was printed for the engraver to see how his work was going. I don't know what the original purpose was for this, but the completed vignette eventually ended up on a 2005 souvenir card.






And last is a beautiful oval frame, with two female figures. I'm calling this the Angel Frame. This one is perhaps the most significant because it appears on a well-known large-size note. Let's see if anyone can tell me which one...

 

Three very nice BEP vignettes arrived today! These were not cheap, but each one is significant so I decided to splurge.
.....
And last is a beautiful oval frame, with two female figures. I'm calling this the Angel Frame. This one is perhaps the most significant because it appears on a well-known large-size note. Let's see if anyone can tell me which one...


Trick question; the frame is not on any note I know of. Then I thought that the separate figures might be on the unissued 1899 $10 Silver certificate, "well known" because it is on a souvenir card, B-182. Then it occurred to me that of course, it is also on the Buffalo note, $10 1901 US note.

I guess I should post my latest splurge. It is on the $50 Two Year note of 1861 [Friedberg 202a] and a few US bonds.


I hadn't seen it before, so it was "rare" to me. The small print lower right says "NATIONAL BANK NOTE CO., N.Y."

 

I like that one! It's a Justice I haven't seen before. Nice pick-up, Harry!

You're right -- it was a trick question! The figures in the frame were split and used at either end of the famous Buffalo note.