Buying/Selling 1896 $5 Five Dollars Silver Certificates "EDUCATIONAL NOTE"

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This magnificent $5 "Educational," the last denomination, completes the trio of 1896 silver certificates. Until 1896, the majority of paper money issues featured portraits of notable American leaders or a vignette depicting a historic event or achievement. The series of 1896 Silver Certificates brought a new concept to paper money design.

The front of 1896 $5 Silver Certificate has an amazing allegorical subject titled Electricity Presenting Light to the World. Electricity is symbolized by a winged goddess centered with her feet landing on a map of the United States, carrying a bright bulb aloft. Jupiter, on the left, represents energy; Fame, with her trumpet, represents the nation's growth; and Peace, with a dove. A sight of the US Capital dome on the right side in the distance behind the depiction.

The back design was envisioned by Thomas F. Morris and engraved mostly by G.F.C. Smillie, with portraits of Civil War heroes Ulysses S. Grant and Philip H. Sheridan on the both left and right sides. In the upper middle was an ornate winged female on the shield containing the giant “V” indicating the denomination.

In 1893, the Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) commissioned three well-known mural painters to produce "scenic" themes for various denominations for the silver certificate series of 1896. The design job was completely done for the denomination $1, $2, $5, and $10. In the end, only the three lower denominations were ever created, resulting in the exquisite "Educational Notes" that is so highly regarded today, each of which has earned a high slot in The 100 Greatest American Currency Notes, with the $5 ranking fifth.

The lavish vignette from the front was originally drawn by Walter Shirlaw. Thomas Morris designed the back of the bill, and G.F.C. Smilie engraved the figures. The Series of 1896 $5 notes were released in 1897, a year after the date imprinted on them. Between 1896 and 1898, three distinct signature combinations of the $5 Educational Silver Certificate were issued, classified as Fr#268-270.

Needless to say, while these silver certificates are highly regarded by numismatists in terms of art, also considered one of the most beautiful designs in the US Paper Money. However, at the time when it was just released. The whole series received vehement responses from the public about the half-naked design of the figure in the middle. Most of the designs apply a lot of black ink making it difficult to identify because it is too dark and easily smudged. Criticism for the three silver certificates notes was so great that the government have to cancel the release of the $10 and other higher denominations. These three wonderful notes were forced to retire. And a new replacement series of the silver certificate was issued in 1899.

The iconic 1896 $5 Educational Silver Certificate was the result of the hard work of well-known artists at the time and is today regarded as one of the most beautiful and elaborate designs ever released in US Paper Money history. It is also one of the scarcest denominations from the trilogy “Educational Series”. We had a few examples available that are being offered on our site and waiting for a new home. Most of them were graded by third-party grading companies leading in the industry like PMG or PCGS.

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Buying/Selling 1896 $5 Five Dollars Silver Certificates "EDUCATIONAL NOTE"

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