$5 Bill Question

[jlueke]

My son is working on his first exhibit focusing on Lincoln being honored on US coins and currency. I'm wondering what's the earliest reasonably priced $5 Lincoln series? The condition doesn't have to be great but nor ragged, I always like buying AU but a nice VF would work.

[Dave]

You can’t go wrong with an 1899 Black Eagle One Dollar Silver Certificate. They are widely available in all grades and prices. This is fun because it’s a different denomination than the $5 and he’s on there with U.S. Grant.

 

The first Five Dollar note he was on was the Portal issued in 1923 – forget it – the price is sky high. But the 1914 Silver Certificate - blue seal - is priced better – about $100 for a VF condition – the same year but red seal Legal Tender note is much more.

 

The 1918 FRBN is more yet – about $500 dollars in VF

 

For small sized notes, the 1928 Legal Tender – red seal – is much more affordable - $50 should get you a very nice example indeed.

National Banknotes issued in 1929 should run about $70 - $100 for a decent example. They're fin too because they look so different.

 

Try looking for those years online and check out the prices for better ideas. I wish him luck, and it'd be nice to see photos of the exhibit posted here too!

[thedeadpoint]

Great idea for a project. Great response by Dave. Can't wait to see pics! (hopefully)

[jlueke]

Thanks Dave, I'm tracking some 1928 silver sets and a couple of 1899's. The large size stuff of the 1880 $100 bill are definitely out. Currency reforms brought about by the Civil War might be a good topic for an adult presentation

[Steve D'Ippolito]

I agree with that last suggestion.

 

I put together an exhibit recently on the kinds of coinage that simply don't exist any more... and went away so long ago no one alive remembers them. I did everything from large cents, half cents, three cent nickels and trimes, two cent pieces, half dimes... the 20 cent piece... and I even stretched a point and included a cupronickel small cent (pre-1864) because of their distinctive thickness and color. It's interesting to note that 1851-1889 (bracketed by the first trime and the last 3 cent nickel) was a period of much experimentation and _most_ of it had to do with the Civil War. Many things ended, other things we know today started (our present day nickel), and many things were tried that didn't get off the ground. It wouldn't take much to abbreviate that into a "Civil War Monetary Reforms" sort of thing (and you'd probably want to bring in a shield nickel or two even though that's 1866; it was an attempt to solve a problem caused by the Civil War). Alas the judges didn't like the exhibit very much (it was aimed at people who didn't collect) but I will probably drag it to future shows as a non-competitive exhibit for educational purposes.

[jtryka]

As a trivia question, he was also on the $10 notes of 1862 and 1863 while he was still president, and I think you can get the 1862 in lower grade for maybe $1,000, so a little more than the project is worth, though it might be something where a photo from a book might be a good illustration.

[Saor Alba]

As a trivia question, he was also on the $10 notes of 1862 and 1863 while he was still president, and I think you can get the 1862 in lower grade for maybe $1,000, so a little more than the project is worth, though it might be something where a photo from a book might be a good illustration.

 

Indeed, he has the distinction of being the only living president ever on Federally issued currency:

 

 

Which even for the time was not exactly a popular idea with many in the public - in the North! We may forget now, but Lincoln was not universally popular practically anywhere. In fact it was not until after his assassination and the subsequent realisation of what a truly remarkable president he was that he was appreciated. But he was also on the 50c Fractional note in the 1870's and it is reasonably affordable. In my critical estimation he is one of the very few individuals worthy of such accolades as being on currency. And some of those other characters, like Andy Jackson, the 1830's ethnic cleanser are certainly not.

[jlueke]

Those 1899 $5 certs seem to be running about $100 even in lower grades, maybe a bit much. I think I'll give the kid $50 and see what he can do at the coin show for a 1928 series red seal. I've found that kids sometimes have an innate advantage in getting sympathetic deals.