“King of Small Size” Gem 1933 $10 Offered in Stack’s Bowers Nov. Auction

By Brad Ciociola – Currency Specialist, Stack’s Bowers Galleries ……
Small size currency enthusiasts will be pleased to find a high-grade example of one of the key notes to the entire small size series offered in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries November 12, 2020 U.S. Currency Auction. This Fr. 1700 1933 $10 Silver Certificate is often referred to as “The King of Small Size”. Just 216,000 were printed and today roughly 70 examples are recorded in the census.

Virtually every dedicated small size collector aspires to eventually own one.

The note presented in our November sale is graded Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) and displays broad margins and deep overprint embossing. The engraved design elements are darkly inked and sharply detailed. Spectacular quality is seen all over this small size rarity. PMG has graded just seven other examples at this grade level, with only five finer.

This series differs from the far more common 1934 series notes as it has a Treasury seal at left and not a blue “10” counter. In addition, the wording “PAYABLE IN SILVER COIN TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND” found on this note was reworded to “IN SILVER PAYABLE TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND” for the later issues.

This note, lot 7153 in the November auction, carries a pre-auction estimate of $30,000-$40,000 USD. It is certainly a trophy note, worthy of entering the finest of collections.

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To view all the United States coins, medals, tokens and paper money offered in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries November 2020 auction visit StacksBowers.com. For more information call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].