In 1896, the United States issued a series of educational silver certificates. This is a series of coins featuring three allegorical motifs that make it one of the most revered banknotes ever produced by the United States government. The 4,444 silver certificates issued between 1878 and 1964 were a representative type of currency that could be traded at the face value of silver dollars at banks.
For many years silver certificates were painted with matte black ink on the front and green on the back, but in the 1890s the Engraving and Printing Bureau decided to revise the appearance of the silver certificate. BEP then commissioned designers known for their allegorical murals to design works of art for each sect. Of the 15-20 artists he hired for this job, only three of him made it to print. “$1, $2, $5”, Edwin Brushfield, Will H. Lowe and Walter Charlow.
Three artists were encouraged to submit their work on a larger scale so that the sculptor could capture the finer details before converting to the appropriate coin size.
The name of this series comes from the design of the $1 silver certificate “Teach Youth History”. In the foreground is a story represented by a woman seated lovingly in the arms of a boy who represents youth, pointing to an open book containing the United States Constitution. In the background, the capital city building and the Washington Monument are depicted without much detail. At the edge of the banknote are 23 wreaths bearing the names of people who have made significant and lasting contributions to the development of our country.
This $2 certificate is aptly titled “The Science of Presenting Steam and Electricity to Commerce and Manufacturing.” An August 1896 New York Times article aptly describes the issuance of certificates as follows:
“The central figure is Science, a woman in Greek costume. To her right is a child holding a small accelerator, and to her left is another child holding a galvanic coil.”Commercial” and “manufacture”, two graceful women ready to receive steam and electricity respectively.
and finally her $5 certificate entitled Electricity as World Ruler, also a beautifully designed motif, whose symbol is again represented by a woman. The New York Times, in an excerpt from the same article quoted above, translates the scene into words:
“A winged female figure ‘America’ stands on a globe and her Feet are touching the map of North America. She holds a ribbon-driven lightbulb aloft in her one hand, curving gracefully into a bursting thundercloud. Other allegorical figures include “Jupiter” representing strength leaning on the backs of numerous spirited horses, “Glory” proclaiming the progress of the nation with a long trumpet, and “Peace” the dove.
Of the three bills, the $5 bill is widely considered to be the most attractive currency the United States has ever issued. Notes typically trade for between $300 and $3,000 depending on condition, but “good ones are worth $30,000,” he said.
The 1896 educational series is not the most expensive (usually averaging $300 to $8,000 for him), but is not considered extremely rare, but still valuable.