Lowest Serial Number Available to Collectors
By Bradley C. Trotter – Currency Auction Associate, Stack’s Bower Galleries ……
Stack’s Bowers is pleased to be offering a Fr. 1167 1907 $10 Gold Certificate as lot 21316 in our August 2024 Global Showcase Auction. A rarity among rarities, even for the exceptional Porter Collection, this Friedberg number and series is seen much less frequently than those issued under the Series of 1922. A total of 370 examples are recorded for this Friedberg by Track & Price as opposed to 12,307 pieces (as of this writing) recorded for Fr. 1173. However, that distinction is not what makes this Gold Certificate special; instead it is a set of circumstances that goes beyond the catalog number and condition.
It was issued in the immediate aftermath of the passage of the Act of March 4, 1907 (which specifically authorized $10 Gold Certificates) and bears the signatures of Register William T. Vernon and Treasurer Charles H. Treat, making it one of the earliest $10 Gold Certificates ever issued. In fact, the Friedberg number for this signature combination is the first issued for this denomination.
Even so, that distinction is only part of the attraction.
The note bears an extraordinarily low serial number of A44 – the lowest serial number available to collectors per the Gengerke Census. There is an A6 note known; it has been held by the Smithsonian Institution since being donated by the Chase Manhattan Bank. The next lowest serial number is A50, also on a note held by the Smithsonian Institution, while A1816 accounts for the next lowest available to collectors (barring any new discoveries). A curious twist for a time when low serial numbers were often saved as souvenirs by those with connections at the Treasury Department.
Yet the story doesn’t end with its low serial number. It also has a legendary pedigree to a collection that is spoken of with reverence and awe – that of Albert A. Grinnell. This note was sold for $26 on March 10, 1945, as lot 570 in Part II of Barney Bluestone’s series of sales of that famous collection. While Bluestone neglected to mention the serial number on most lots (making it somewhat difficult to pin down notes with a Grinnell pedigree), for this note, he did include this valuable information, adding to its desirability as one of those few that can be traced back to Grinnell’s holdings. Now this note will be available in our upcoming August Global Showcase auction and will mark a rare opportunity to acquire a note from this fabled collection.
For more information about our auctions or to consign your numismatic items to one of our upcoming auctions, please call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].
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