NOTOFILIA Numismatics and Notaphily
ES (Spanish) EN (English)
Vintage map of the United States on parchment showing the twelve Federal Reserve districts, a 1914 ten-dollar note, a passport, and a 1913 postage stamp

Virtual collection

United States · Notaphily From colonial paper to the Federal Reserve

Public paper money was born in America, not in Europe. On 10 December 1690 Massachusetts authorized bills of credit to pay for a war; the U.S. Currency Education Program and the Newman Numismatic Portal record it as the first public paper in the Western world. The thirteen colonies followed. The Continental Congress issued Continentals in 1775: unbacked and counterfeited by the enemy, they coined the phrase “not worth a Continental.”

In the nineteenth century everyday trade ran on obsolete notes of state banks — broken banknotes in the jargon, catalogued by Haxby. The American Numismatic Society places the end of that plurality in the Civil War: a 10 percent tax on private paper and the National Banking Act of 1863. Federal paper was born at the same time — United States Notes (1862), Gold Certificates (1865), and Silver Certificates (1878) — and, in the South, the unbacked Confederate grayback, through the act of 17 February 1864.

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created the central bank and two kinds of paper: Federal Reserve Notes and, as emergency currency, Federal Reserve Bank Notes. The BEP stopped delivering United States Notes in 1971; today only FRNs are issued. The Second World War marked silver certificates and FRNs with the HAWAII overprint and the 1935-A yellow-seal $1 for North Africa.

This case is not a complete catalog of United States notaphily: it is the inventory of the pieces that will be documented here, with Friedberg, Haxby, Schwan, Criswell, or Pick references when they exist. The Continental $5 of 14 January 1779 (Fr. CC-91; the manuscript serial is unreadable), the State Bank at New Brunswick $1 remainder (Haxby NJ-350 G16a), the City Bank of New Haven $5 remainder (Haxby CT-265 G52b, plate A, no serial), the Canal Bank of New Orleans $50 remainder (Haxby LA-105 G46a, plate D, no serial), the Confederate T-40 $100 of August 1862, serial 36830, the 1864 Confederate T-69 $5, serial 6164, the T-67 $20, serial 74523, the Series 1934 Chicago Federal Reserve Note $10, serial G30986728A, the Series 1934A $10 of the same district, serial G74025286A, the Series 1934A Cleveland $10, serial D78652996A, the Series 1934D Richmond $10, serial E60822246B, the Series 1934A New York $500, serial B00286799A, the Series 1934A New York $1,000, serial B00411221A, the Series 2003 Atlanta $1 star replacement F05033622★, the Series 2003 St. Louis $2 star replacement H00010418★, the Series 1957-B $1 Silver Certificate, serial S35513454A, and, under Miscellaneous, the Series 2006 Dallas $1 stamped for Where’s George?, serial K46602688C, the uniface Giori Lincoln Memorial test note, ca. 1970s, with no serial, the 1933 Baraboo 5¢ scrip, John Ringling, serial A4895, the 10¢ of the same scrip, Chas. Ringling, serial A2844, the 15¢, Al. T. Ringling, serial A2819, and the $1, Ringling Bros., serial A2002, already have note pages. Further pieces will be published as they are photographed, as in the Philippines case. Military Payment Certificates, USDA food coupons, and other test notes belong here as well.

This country’s struck coin is documented in the numismatics case. United States · Numismatics

1690–1788

Colonial coinage

The first public paper of the Western world: Massachusetts bills of credit and Continental Currency.

On 10 December 1690 the Massachusetts Bay General Court authorized £7,000 in bills of credit to pay for an expedition against Canada. The Newman Numismatic Portal and the U.S. Currency Education Program agree: it was the first public paper money in the Western world. The other colonies copied the expedient. In 1775 the Continental Congress issued Continentals to finance independence; inflation and British counterfeiting left them “not worth a Continental.” The $5 of 14 January 1779, Friedberg CC-91, with the SUSTINE VEL ABSTINE emblem, already has a note page; the manuscript serial is not readable on this photograph. Provincial issues such as Pennsylvania 1773 and the New Jersey six-shillings of 1776 also belong in this case.

  1. Face of the Continental $5, Fr. CC-91, 14 January 1779: SUSTINE VEL ABSTINE emblem, red THE UNITED STATES border, and an illegible manuscript serial.

    $5 · Continental Currency · 14 January 1779

    Pick Fr. CC-91 · Serial —

    Open the note page →

1782–1866

Obsolete notes

State banks, broken banknotes, and the tax that ended private issue.

After the Constitution, everyday paper came from state-chartered banks — the First Bank of the United States (1791) was only the first of many. Thousands of plates, often engraved in New York or Philadelphia, circulated with uneven convertibility: collectors call them obsolete or broken banknotes, catalogued by Haxby. The American Numismatic Society notes that a 10 percent tax on private paper and the National Banking Act of 1863 unified the national currency during the Civil War. The $1 remainder of the State Bank at New Brunswick, serial 9890 · B, the $5 remainder of the City Bank of New Haven, Haxby CT-265 G52b, plate A, with no serial, and the $50 remainder of the Canal Bank of New Orleans, Haxby LA-105 G46a, plate D, with no serial and the red “Redback” reverse, already have note pages. The Citizens Bank of Louisiana and the Hagerstown Bank of Maryland also belong in this case.

  1. Face of the $1 remainder, Haxby NJ-350 G16a, serial 9890, plate B: locomotive, agricultural allegory, and the red serial.

    $1 · State Bank at New Brunswick

    Pick Haxby NJ-350 G16a · N#334975 · Serial 9890 · B

    Open the note page →
  2. Face of the $5 remainder, Haxby CT-265 G52b, plate A: harbor with a sidewheel steamer, red FIVE protector, and a blank No.

    $5 · City Bank of New Haven

    Pick Haxby CT-265 G52b · Serial —

    Open the note page →
  3. Face of the $50 remainder, Haxby LA-105 G46a, plate D: Andrew Jackson and Captain James Lawrence in the corners, the allegory of the 50 at center, and the CANAL BANK title.

    $50 · Canal Bank, New Orleans

    Pick Haxby LA-105 G46a · N#206863 · Serial —

    Open the note page →

1861–1864

Confederate States

Treasury graybacks: from Montgomery to Richmond, without gold or recognition, through the 1864 reform.

The Confederate Treasury opened almost empty: Southern wealth sat in land and enslaved people, not in coin, and the Union blockade cut off the cotton that might have bought gold. Wikipedia dates the first bills of credit to March–April 1861, at Montgomery, before the capital moved to Richmond. Christopher G. Memminger turned to the press; Northern plates closed and Hoyer & Ludwig, Keatinge & Ball, J. T. Paterson & Co., and Archer & Daly engraved, often by lithography. Seven series ran to about $1.7 billion in 72 Criswell types. The grayback promised payment after peace; when the war was lost it was worth nothing, and the Fourteenth Amendment voided that debt. This case holds the T-40 $100, serial 36830, of August 1862, interest-bearing with payment stamps on the back, and the T-69 $5, serial 6164, and the T-67 $20, serial 74523, both of February 1864.

  1. Face of the Confederate $5, T-69, 17 February 1864, serial 6164, 3rd series, plate A: the Virginia Capitol and Memminger.

    $5 · Confederate States · 1864

    Pick P#67 · T-69 · N#226718 · Serial 6164 · 3 · A

    Open the note page →
  2. Face of the Confederate $20, T-67, 17 February 1864, serial 74523, plate A: the Tennessee Capitol and Stephens.

    $20 · Confederate States · 1864

    Pick P#69 · T-67 · N#202478 · Serial 74523 · A

    Open the note page →
  3. Face of the Confederate $100, T-40, Richmond, 20 August 1862, serial 36830, series Ac: milkmaid and a diffused-steam locomotive.

    $100 · Confederate States · 1862

    Pick P#44 · T-40 · N#208004 · Serial 36830 · Ac

    Open the note page →

1862–1971

United States Notes

Legal Tender Notes, or greenbacks: the first widely circulated federal paper, with a red seal.

The act of 25 February 1862 authorized United States Notes — also Legal Tender Notes or greenbacks — as legal tender for public and private debts. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing calls them the first widely circulated federal paper; at first private banknote companies engraved them and the Treasury only sealed and cut. The BEP began engraving faces and seals with Series 1869. A red seal and red serials mark the type. The last BEP delivery to the Treasury was in 1971; none have been placed in circulation since 21 January 1971. Outstanding notes remain redeemable at face value. This case will gather the 1928 red-seal $1 and the 1966 $100.

1865–1934

Gold Certificates

Paper backed by Treasury gold, from the BEP’s first issues to the 1933–1934 withdrawal.

The BEP dates the first Gold Certificates to 1865, with Fractional Currency, as one of the first issues produced entirely by the bureau. They represented gold held by the Treasury. The public lost the right to redeem them in 1933, when the United States left the gold standard; Series 1928 was the last small-size type in general circulation. The Series 1934 $100,000 certificate — the highest denomination the BEP ever printed, from 18 December 1934 through 9 January 1935 — moved only between Federal Reserve Banks, never among the public. This collection will document the 1928 $10 Gold Certificate.

1878–1964

Silver Certificates

Certificates payable in Treasury silver, the North Africa yellow seal, and HAWAII overprints.

In 1878 the Treasury issued Silver Certificates, authorized by legislation that increased the purchase and coinage of silver. The BEP and uscurrency.gov agree on that date. In 1935 both faces of the Great Seal of the United States appeared together for the first time on the $1 of this class. During the Second World War the BEP printed silver certificates and Federal Reserve notes with a HAWAII overprint, brown seals, and brown serials, so they could be declared worthless if the islands fell. The 1935-A $1 with a yellow seal — the North Africa issue — served the same purpose with Allied troops. Redemption in silver ended in 1968. This case opens with the Series 1957-B $1 Silver Certificate, serial S35513454A, and will add that North Africa yellow-seal $1.

  1. Face of the Series 1957-B $1 Silver Certificate, serial S35513454A: Washington, the blue Treasury seal, and plate positions H2 / H751.

    $1 · Silver Certificate · Series 1957 B

    Pick P#419b · Fr. 1621 · Serial S35513454A

    Open the note page →

from 1914

Federal Reserve Bank

The 1913 Act, Federal Reserve Notes, and emergency Federal Reserve Bank Notes.

The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created the central bank and authorized two papers: Federal Reserve Notes, issued by the Board, and Federal Reserve Bank Notes, emergency currency of each district bank in the early twentieth century. The BEP draws that distinction clearly. From 1914 FRNs have been the circulating paper; today they are the only type still issued. In 1934 the BEP added the HAWAII overprint to FRNs and silver certificates. The Series 1934 Chicago (G / 7) $10, serial G30986728A, the Series 1934A $10 of the same district, serial G74025286A, the Series 1934A Cleveland (D / 4) $10, serial D78652996A, the Series 1934D Richmond (E / 5) $10, serial E60822246B, the Series 1934A New York (B / 2) $500, serial B00286799A, PMG 55, the Series 1934A $1,000 of the same district, serial B00411221A, the Series 2003 Atlanta (F / 6) $1 star replacement F05033622★, and the Series 2003 St. Louis (H / 8) $2 star replacement H00010418★, PMG 64 EPQ, already have note pages. Still to come are the 1929 Minneapolis $100 FRBN, further 1934 $10 notes from other districts, the 1934 Hawaii $20, and the 1990 Cleveland $100. Vietnam Military Payment Certificates are documented in their own case. USDA food coupons will be documented alongside these federal series.

  1. Face of the Series 2003 $1, Atlanta district, replacement serial F 05033622 ★: Washington and the green Treasury seal.

    $1 · Series 2003 · Atlanta ★

    Pick P#515a · Fr. 1929-F* · Serial F05033622★

    Open the note page →
  2. Slabbed face of the Series 2003 $2, St. Louis district, serial H 00010418 ★: Jefferson, the green Treasury seal, and the PMG 64 EPQ label.

    $2 · Series 2003 · St. Louis ★

    Pick P#516 · Fr. 1937-H* · Serial H00010418★

    Open the note page →
  3. Face of the Series 1934 $10, Chicago district, serial G30986728A: Hamilton and the green Treasury seal.

    $10 · Series 1934 · Chicago

    Pick P#430 · Fr. 2004-G · Serial G30986728A

    Open the note page →
  4. Face of the Series 1934A $10, Chicago district, serial G74025286A: Hamilton, the green Treasury seal, and plate J118.

    $10 · Series 1934A · Chicago

    Pick P#430Da · Fr. 2006-G · Serial G74025286A

    Open the note page →
  5. Face of the Series 1934A $10, Cleveland district, serial D78652996A: Hamilton, the green Treasury seal, and plate J120.

    $10 · Series 1934A · Cleveland

    Pick P#430Da · Fr. 2006-D · Serial D78652996A

    Open the note page →
  6. Face of the Series 1934D $10, Richmond district, serial E60822246B: Hamilton, the green Treasury seal, and plate F155.

    $10 · Series 1934D · Richmond

    Pick P#430Dd · Fr. 2009-E · Serial E60822246B

    Open the note page →
  7. Slabbed face of the Series 1934A $500, New York district, serial B00286799A: McKinley, the green Treasury seal, and the PMG 55 label.

    $500 · Series 1934A · New York

    Pick P#434a · Fr. 2202-B · Serial B00286799A

    Open the note page →
  8. Face of the Series 1934A $1,000, New York district, serial B00411221A: Cleveland, the green Treasury seal, and a rigid holder.

    $1,000 · Series 1934A · New York

    Pick P#435a · Fr. 2212-B · Serial B00411221A

    Open the note page →

from 2020

Pop art

Contemporary interventions on genuine United States notes, not official BEP redesigns.

On legal-tender paper — chiefly the Federal Reserve $1 and $2 — contemporary artists print, stamp, or draw until the note becomes a pop-art object. These are not Treasury or BEP issues. In this collection that intervention is chiefly Rency (manuscript signature RENCY). Pelé / The Beautiful Game, edition 5/200; Messi / You Have to Fight to Reach Your Dream, edition 2/222; Life Is Beautiful / LIFE SPRAY, also 5/200; Warhol & Basquiat / Life Is Beautiful; and Trump / Never Surrender already have note pages. Pelé, Messi, LIFE SPRAY, and Warhol–Basquiat show printed serial F71235101A and are distinct objects; on Never Surrender the paper serial is not readable under the overlay.

  1. Pop-art face on a genuine $1, serial F 71235101 A: Pelé portraits, “the beautiful game,” “LOVE WHAT YOU ARE DOING,” and vertical RENCY.

    Pelé / The Beautiful Game · 5/200

    Pick Rency · 5/200 · Serial F71235101A

    Open the note page →
  2. Pop-art face on genuine legal-tender paper, serial F 71235101 A: Messi portraits, jersey 10, “life is beautiful,” “YOU HAVE TO FIGHT TO REACH YOUR DREAM!,” and vertical RENCY.

    Messi / You Have to Fight to Reach Your Dream · 2/222

    Pick Rency · 2/222 · Serial F71235101A

    Open the note page →
  3. Pop-art face on a genuine $2, serial F 71235101 A: Warhol and Basquiat, Campbell’s can, skull, crown, and legends including “LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL” and “SAMO LIVES.”

    Warhol & Basquiat / Life Is Beautiful

    Pick Rency · Serial F71235101A

    Open the note page →
  4. Portrait-format pop face: Trump mugshot (Fulton County, 2023), “NEVER SURRENDER,” “STAND UP FOR AMERICA,” “WITCH HUNT” seal, and Rency at lower right.

    Trump / Never Surrender

    Pick Rency · Serial —

    Open the note page →
  5. Pop-art face on a genuine $1, serial F 71235101 A: eight LIFE SPRAY cans, neon “life is beautiful,” and vertical Rency.

    Life Is Beautiful / LIFE SPRAY · 5/200

    Pick Rency · 5/200 · Serial F71235101A

    Open the note page →

Open the Rency case →

20th–21st c.

Miscellaneous

Marked circulating paper, test notes, commemorative scrip, and other pieces that sit outside the federal series and pop art.

Outside “clean” legal-tender paper and the contemporary interventions on the $1, this case holds pieces that do not form a series of their own: a Federal Reserve Note stamped for Where’s George? (opens in a new tab) , BEP Giori test notes, commemorative scrip, and promotional issues. The Series 2006 Dallas $1, serial K46602688C — still legal tender, but documented by the red stamps as a circulation-tracking object, not as a type FRN — the uniface Giori Lincoln Memorial test note, ca. 1970s, with no serial, the 1933 Baraboo 5¢ scrip, John Ringling, serial A4895, the 10¢ of the same scrip, Chas. Ringling, serial A2844, the 15¢, Al. T. Ringling, serial A2819, and the $1, Ringling Bros., serial A2002, already have note pages. The Golden Jubilee scrip — Chamber of Commerce, Shafer WI100, 5¢ to $1 — has a type page; the 25¢ and 50¢ still wait for each note’s serial or certificate. Further note pages will be published here as they are photographed.

  1. Face of the Series 2006 $1, Dallas district, serial K46602688C: Washington, the green Treasury seal, and red Where’s George? stamps.

    $1 · Series 2006 · Dallas · Where’s George?

    Pick P#523a · Fr. 1933-K · Serial K46602688C

    Open the note page →
  2. Uniface face of the Giori test note, ca. 1970s: Lincoln Memorial in green, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and the $1 corner 1s, with no serial.

    Giori test note · Lincoln Memorial · ca. 1970s

    Pick Giori · Lincoln Memorial (uniface) · Serial —

    Open the note page →
  3. Face of the Baraboo 5¢, Shafer WI100, series A, serial 4895: John Ringling’s portrait, 50th ANNIVERSARY 1883–1933, and FIVE (5) CENTS.

    5¢ · Baraboo Scrip · John Ringling · 1933

    Pick Shafer WI100 · 5¢ · Serial A4895

    Open the note page →
  4. Face of the Baraboo 10¢, Shafer WI100, series A, serial 2844: Chas. Ringling’s portrait, 50th ANNIVERSARY 1883–1933, and TEN CENTS.

    10¢ · Baraboo Scrip · Chas. Ringling · 1933

    Pick Shafer WI100 · 10¢ · Serial A2844

    Open the note page →
  5. Face of the Baraboo 15¢, Shafer WI100, series A, serial 2819: Al. T. Ringling’s portrait, 50th ANNIVERSARY 1883–1933, and FIFTEEN (15) CENTS.

    15¢ · Baraboo Scrip · Al. T. Ringling · 1933

    Pick Shafer WI100 · 15¢ · Serial A2819

    Open the note page →
  6. Face of the Baraboo $1, Shafer WI100, series A, serial 2002: the Ringling Bros. group portrait, 50th ANNIVERSARY 1883–1933, and ONE DOLLAR.

    $1 · Baraboo Scrip · Ringling Bros. · 1933

    Pick Shafer WI100 · $1 · Serial A2002

    Open the note page →

Open the Miscellaneous case →

Frequently asked questions

What United States paper money is in Notofilia?

The case brings together colonial issues, obsolete notes, Confederates, United States Notes, gold and silver certificates, Federal Reserve notes, military payment certificates, pop art, and miscellaneous issues. It is not a complete Friedberg catalog: it is the inventory of the examples documented here.

What are Vietnam MPCs?

Military Payment Certificates were the paper used on United States bases abroad. This collection documents series used in Vietnam (641, 661, 681, and 692) with their own pages when a photo and serial exist.

Are the United States notes in this collection for sale?

No. The catalog cites Friedberg, Haxby, Schwan, Criswell, or Pick when those numbers exist, and states that nothing is for sale. Remaining note pages are published as pieces are photographed.

Are there United States coins in Notofilia?

Yes. The numismatics case records the Philadelphia Semiquincentennial 1776–2026 $1, with Trump’s portrait, manganese brass — not gold — and unslabbed. This country’s paper remains in the notaphily case, including Rency’s Trump / Never Surrender pop collage, a different object.

Sources

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