The Long Beach Expo U.S. Currency Signature Auction, held by Heritage Auctions September 13-15, realized a total hammer price of $7,313,357 USD. Together wih the U.S. Coins event, Heritage achieved a total of $15,545,589 at the Expo.
The biggest highlight of the sale was a Fr. 2231-A $10000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ, which garnered a record $480,000.
“Large-denomination notes always have drawn the interest of collectors,” said Dustin Johnston, Vice President of Currency at Heritage Auctions. “The $10000 bill trails only the $100000 gold certificate issued in 1934, and of the 18 examples graded by PMG, this example is tied for the highest-graded. Among all small-size $10000 Federal Reserve bills, PMG has graded only four equal and five higher.”
A Fr. 2221-G $5,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PCGS Banknote Choice Unc 64 serial number G00000998A that had been off of the market since September 2007 garnered a record-for-the-grade $300,000.
Tied for finest of all Large Size $1,000 bills, a Fr. 1133-D $1,000 1918 Federal Reserve Note PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ from the Thomas Collup Collection hammered at $228,000.
Featuring a vignette of Columbus in His Study and a portrait of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, a Fr. 187j $1,000 1880 Legal Tender PMG Very Fine 30 Net achieved $192,000.
Another tied-for-finest item–a Fr. 302 $10 1908 Silver Certificate PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ, also part of The Thomas Collup Collection and featuring a Blue Seal Tombstone–was bought for $78,000. It, too, had been off the market for almost 20 years, having last sold at the 2008 Heritage Long Beach auction.
One of just two known Fr. 167b $100 1863 Legal Tender Notes, graded PCGS Banknote Choice Fine 15 Details, realized $72,000. The design features the heraldic Spread Eagle vignette engraved by Joseph P. Ourdan — hence the “Spread Eagle” nickname. Only two examples are known for this Friedberg number and less than 60 have been reported across all varieties of the type.
For all results from the Heritage Signature Currency Auction, click here.
