Smythe’s Memphis Sale Should Be Their Best Ever On July 5, 6 & 7, 2007, R. M. Smythe & Co., Official Auctioneers for the 31st Annual Memphis International Paper Money Show, will conduct an extraordinary auction of paper money, stocks, bonds, and re
and a 50 Cent Fr.1359, green reverse, 1 & a, Choice Uncirculated, is unlikely to be seen again anytime soon. Five pairs of Grant-Sherman 50 Cent Specimens are also sure to attract attention from bidders.
The first U. S. Large Size note in the sale is a scarce $10 Feb. 24, 1815 Fr.TN-14a estimated at $5,000-$7,000. The very first U. S. $2 Legal Tender, Serial Number 1, Plate Letter A, and certified as such by PMG, will be offered at $15,000-Up. A lovely 1869 $2 “Rainbow” note, PMG-65, could easily exceed $25,000, and a PCGS 65PPQ 1869 Fr.96 $10 “Rainbow” would make a very nice companion to the $2. If early $10 Legal Tender notes are what you are after, an 1863 Fr.99b, Gem Uncirculated, is offered at $10,000-$15,000. A CGA 45 $10 Fr.190b $10 Compound Interest note appears next, at an estimate of $12,500-Up, followed by a spectacular 1861 $500 Interest Bearing Note, Fr.202c, in Proof, at $15,000 and Up. If Silver Certificates are what you seek, don’t miss the cut sheet of four Choice-Gem 1899 $2 Fr.258s, or the stunning 1896 $5 Fr.269 Educational, PCGS 65PPQ. Two rare Large Size Federal Reserve Notes are offered, a $500 Dallas Fr.1132, PCGS 45 PPQ, and a Boston $1000 Fr.1133, PCGS08, one of only two known to be in private hands. A New York $1000 Fr.1133 is also being offered. If Gold Notes excite you, there is a very nice 1882 $500 Fr.1216b in VF, estimated at $10,000-$15,000.
Several great rarities appear in the U. S. Small Size session of Smythe’s Saturday evening sale, including an uncut sheet of 1953 $2 Legal Tender Notes that was the second sheet of the first run of this series. The first sheet of the first run of 1953 $5 Legal Tenders features Serial Number A00000001A, and the last note on the sheet is signed by Priest and Humphrey. The ultimate Small Size Silver Certificate Star Notes follow; a $1 1928D Star, PMG 66 with Exceptional Paper Quality, $50,000-$100,000, and a $1 1928E Star in similar grade, estimated at $150,000-$250,000. Both are without a doubt the finest known, and the only Gems reported for these issues. Another important Star is the $5 1953B Silver Certificate in Choice Uncirculated, $17,500-$20,000. High denomination collectors will enjoy a nice run of over 70 $500 and $1,000 Federal Reserve Notes, including a wide variety of dates and districts.
The “King” of the Small Size errors is the $10 1950A note printed with a $1. This is just one of four Federal Reserve Note Double Denomination errors offered, including a $5 1934D printed with a $10 back, a $10 1928A printed with a $5 back, and a $20 Dallas District with a $10 back.
Smythe’s Memphis auction always has a nice selection of Nationals, and this year is no different. Want the only known $50 Denver Drovers NB? Estimated at $4,500-5,500, it is one of many discovery pieces in this sale. An 1882 $20 Value Back, Charter #P8370 is the
