During the Civil War, the U.S. government first issued currency for general circulation. The Union had stopped paying out coins, and needed a way to facilitate trade and finance the war. The people were demanding a currency that was guaranteed good by the government. Accordingly, in 1861 the first Federal currency notes were issued.
Between 1861 and 1928, the U.S. issued currency (we refer to it as "large size" because it was bigger than the currency we now use) in many different types. There were Silver and Gold Certificates, backed by precious metal, Legal Tender Notes authorized by Congress, and Federal Reserve Notes issued under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, among others.
Many of these notes are colorful and beautiful, featuring gorgeous vignettes of events and people of American history. As few people could afford to save quantities of paper money, these notes are generally quite scarce today. This has remained one of the most active areas of the currency market.
F-61a. A gorgeous example with vibrant color and nice centering.
A problem-free Civil War era beauty with fresh paper and bold embossing. Ink could not be any more vivid. Notations include great color along with the EPQ designation.
A popular 'Rainbow' note that is solid for the grade.
Allison/Wyman with ornate red trim.
Very attractive with the appearance of a crisp uncirculated note!
A gorgeous note.
Woodchopper. A beautiful example of this early series Woodchopper with the ornate floral design.
Gorgeous large brown spiked seal.
Large Brown Seal. Very bright and fresh.
Large Red Spiked Seal. Very scarce type.
Jackass type. Large round seal. Fantastic quality with original embossing visible even through the holder.
Beautiful bottom of the sheet note that even has the plate number in the lower margin.
A beautiful large seal "Jackass" note.
A super bright and fresh example of this premium quality Jackass note.
A beautiful example of this scarce note. Only 96 known in all grades. PMG notes "Good Color" on the holder!
F-135. A marvelous example of this large red seal note. Big jumbo margins all the way around. With just a touch more back side centering this jewel could have hit the 67 level and been really expensive! A prize for any collection. They simply do not usually look this good.
Well centered and problem-free with vibrant ink registry. A lovely example of this scarce note.