1899 Lincoln - Grant $1 Silver Certificate

Currency, which is paper money backed by either gold or silver (or more recently good faith in the U.S. Government), has played an extremely large role in American commerce since the early 1900s. As our nation grew and evolved so too did the money that we use in day to day life.

While down in Texas at the Coin Show we came across some ‘Jumbo’ Silver certificates from pre-1900! The among the small hoard we uncovered there were a number of 1899 Lincoln-Grant $1 Silver Certificates in stunning collector’s quality condition – a pretty rare find considering this silver certificate ranks in at #16 in the “100 Greatest American Currency Notes”!

The Silver Certificate is directly tied to the history of the Morgan Dollar. The Bland Allison act of 1878 forced the US Mint to buy silver from the mines across the “Wild West” as it had become known and use them 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 1st 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 ½.

Did you know? These ‘Jumbo’ Silver Certificates became known among collectors as ‘Saddle-Blanket Notes’ due to their large size and shape!

Coins are designed to last several decades after being minted, so it is not uncommon to look at our pocket change and see a coin that minted 30-40 years ago. Paper notes on the other hand, were not designed to last...in fact, so few of them survived the last century that they are considered to be premium collectors items!

These 121 year old notes feature stunning vignettes depicting both of the United States Presidents during and after the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln and his general-turned-successor Ulysses S. Grant.