Today’s highlight is one of the most famous, most popular of all paper money varieties–showcased in The 100 Greatest American Currency Notes and elsewhere. Our catalog description:

Important 1905 Technicolor $20
The Eliasberg Specimen • A Numismatic Landmark

1520 $20. Frieberg-1179. Whitman-2225. Gold Certificate. 1905. No.1126657. Plate A. Choice Uncirculated-64 EPQ (PMG). An important example of this popular type note that is very rare in high grade. More than 130 notes are known, but perhaps only about 5% of these are Choice Uncirculated or finer, with only four or five true Gems known, placing this note high among the survivors in terms of condition.

The color is quite strong on both sides, without any of the fading of the back ink that plagues many examples of this note. Beautiful and fully vibrant ink tones against bright and fresh paper. Good margins with boardwalk end borders. Strong embossing is seen at the serial numbers. The distinctively rich and varied colors of this type are the key to its desirability, and few survivors could be finer in this respect, or any other. When this note last sold at auction, in 2004, it brought nearly $20,000, but times have changed and since then, even a PMG-40 has surpassed this mark. The first public offering of this note was in our October 2001 sale, where we featured “A Private Museum Collection of United States Type Paper Money.” This collection was a portion of the famous Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, sold anonymously then but now of known identity. We expect aggressive bidding for this Choice Uncirculated note, and as high as it ranks among survivors in terms of condition and eye appeal, it is worth every dollar it brings.

Gold Certificates of the Series of 1905 have a vignette of George Washington, engraved by Alfred Sealey, and a bright red Treasury seal and serial numbers on the face. The field is gold and includes a $20 emblem. This splash of color has prompted these to be called “Technicolor Notes,” never mind that the color film process had not been invented by 1905 (however, color images were hardly novel, and Thomas Edison used color in his first films of 1894).

On the back the Heraldic Eagle reverse of the Great Seal of the United States is depicted at the center, with ornately engraved borders, the entire printed in orange-gold, engraved by Robert Ponickau. This back was continued in the later large-size Gold Certificate series.

The Property of a Southern Gentleman; earlier from the Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection; Louis E. Eliasberg, Jr.; Stack’s sale of October 2001, Lot 129; Lyn Knight’s sale of October 2004, Lot 142.

Official Auction of the Whitman Philly Expo!

Stack’s Americana Sale will feature coins, paper money, and medals from the collections of Louis E. Eliasberg, Chet Krause, and Q, David Bowers, as well as the Collection of a Southern Gentleman, and other important consignments.

It is the official auction of the Whitman Coins & Collectibles Philadelphia Expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, September 30 to October 2. Over 5,000 lots in all price ranges from highly affordable to world-class rarities! The paper money section of the sale will be one of the most important ever auctioned, replete with many unique notes and rarities!

Contact us today at 800-566-2580 to reserve your catalogue, which should mail in early September. All lots will also be available for viewing on our website: www.stacks.com.

Thinking of Selling?

Whether you are considering your collection or choice duplicates, we invite you to consign to our spectacular Stack’s 75th Anniversary Sale to be held in Baltimore in November. This is unprecedented—the closest challenger being B. Max Mehl’s 50th Anniversary Sale held in 1950. Our sale is anchored by the Carson Collection of United States Proof Sets, starting from the early year of 1856 and continuing onward! Rarities abound!

Thinking of selling? Contact Dr. Rick Bagg, John Pack, or Vicken Yegparian at 800-566-2580.