1899 $1 Silver Certificate - Lincoln & Grant - PCGS 20

The Rare 1899 Lincoln-Grant $1 Silver Certificate

These hard to find notes are more than 125 years old and prominently feature the bald eagle above two detailed vignettes depicting both of the United States Presidents during and after the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln and his general-turned-successor, Ulysses S. Grant.

The prominent placement of the National Bird on this note led to it being called the 'Bald Eagle' or 'Black Eagle' (a reference to its color) among collectors.

What many don't remember about the Silver Certificate as a whole is that its history is directly tied to that of the Morgan Dollar.

The Bland Allison Act of 1878 forced the U.S. Mint to buy silver from the mines across the 'Wild West', as it had become known, and use it for American currency -- namely the Morgan Silver Dollar!

Coincidentally, they also released a piece of legislation alongside this act authorizing a special 'Silver Certificate' to be printed. These notes were paper currency backed in silver held by the U.S. Treasury. All of these iconic Silver Certificates incorporated the phrase 'One Silver Dollar payable to the bearer on demand'. It also helps explain why so many of the Morgan Dollars that were struck were immediately placed in Treasury vaults.

These first notes were also significantly larger than the currency we carry today. They measured 7 3/8 by 3 1/8 -- truly a 'jumbo' sized note. Today they are a miniscule 6 by 2 1/2.

Their massive size led to these ‘Jumbo’ Silver Certificates becoming known among collectors as ‘Saddle-Blanket Notes’!

Each Silver Certificate will come certified by PCGS as being in VF20 condition.