$500 · Series 1934A · New York

The note

The Series 1934A $500 (Pick 434a, Friedberg 2202-B) is a small-size Federal Reserve Note of the New York district: a circular seal with B, 2s in the four inner corners, and the bank legend “FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF NEW YORK NEW YORK.” The black face with green seal and serials carries William McKinley in an oval and, at right, the Treasury seal over a pale 500. The signatures are W. A. Julian and Henry Morgenthau Jr. The legal-tender clause still promises redemption “in lawful money” at the Treasury or any Federal Reserve Bank. The green back centers a white 500 in an oval of guilloché, with “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” above and “FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS” below. This collection piece is slabbed by PMG as About Uncirculated 55; certificate 1519262-003 records serial B00286799A (BA block), plate position E, and Fr. 2202-B. It is neither a star replacement nor a Gold Certificate. It is not Series 1934 without a letter (Fr. 2201-B). The motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” is not on the back.

The Series 1934A $500

Small-size $500 notes have carried McKinley since Series 1928. The U.S. Currency Education Program places the last printings of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 notes in 1945; on 14 July 1969 the Federal Reserve and the Treasury announced those denominations would be discontinued for lack of use. Outstanding notes remain legal tender: the government has not recalled the paper.

Series 1934A keeps the Julian–Morgenthau signatures. The Bank Note Museum numbers the type P-434a (districts B–E and G–L). New York is district B / 2. This BA-block piece is not a star replacement. The motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” is not yet on the back.

Scarcity and printage

Federal Reserve $500 notes — Series 1928 through 1934C, all twelve districts — were not everyday paper: they served large transfers and were last printed in 1945. The Bank Note Museum numbers 1934A as P-434a. Fr. 2202-B is New York. The type is scarcer than the $10 of the same series; the keys are star replacements, the $5,000 and $10,000 notes, and Series 1934B and 1934C. This record does not invent a printage by block.

Population

PMG publishes population reports for $500 Federal Reserve Notes, but the specific Fr. 2202-B grade-55 headcount has not been independently verified here (the online report requires an account). This page records certificate 1519262-003 and the grade printed on the holder, not a census total.