17491

Fr. 871a $5 1914 Federal Reserve Note Gem New. From Fr. 871a $5 1914 Federal Reserve Note Gem New.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Paper Money - United States Start Price:5,500.00 USD Estimated At:75,000.00 - 112,500.00 USD
Fr. 871a $5 1914 Federal Reserve Note Gem New. From Fr. 871a $5 1914 Federal Reserve Note Gem New.
<B>Fr. 871a $5 1914 Federal Reserve Note Gem New.</B></I> From our sale of the Malcolm Trask Collection, where it was described, "This previously unknown Serial Number 1 Five Dollar Blue Seal is not only the sole known number-one Blue Seal Five, but it is in fact the only low-number Blue Seal Five known. There are four Red Seal Five serail #1's known, three of which reside in their respective district Federal Reserve Banks. Each of the twelve districts began their Red Seal printings with a serial-number one note. When the switch was made from Red Seals to Blue Seals, the serial number run, which in all cases had been part of the "A" block was continued, as no district printed anywhere near 100,000,000 notes for Red Seals. No "1A" Blue Seal notes ever existed. To our best knowledge, only the Chicago and New York districts reached the 100,000,000 mark and continued on into the "B" block. Thus, only two number-one Blue Seal Fed Fives ever existed. Until this point, neither had been known, although within the hobby, there had always been conjecture that this Chicago District number-one note was out there somewhere. The basis for that conjecture was the fact that G100000000A ("G one hundred million A") had been known. It had been presumed, quite logically, that if the final note from the A block had been preserved and was in private hands, the first note from the "B" block would also have been saved. Its whereabouts, until now, remained unknown. Although we do not know when and from whom Malcolm Trask acquired this note, it has been in his collection for over half a century. Mr. Trask's collecting years overlapped with William Philpott's dealing years, and it is certainly possible, if not probable, that Philpott was the source. In any event, the appearance on the market of this note opens up the possibility for a single collector to represent the Five Dollar Blue Seal Fed type as a serial number one note in his collection." This note, which was featured on the cover of our Trask sale catalog, was sold at a time when a rather large group of number-one notes had just reached the market. All have been absorbed, and several have re-sold for far in excess of last year's prices. Our current estimate could well prove to be on the low side for this unique serial #1 type.