Lot 4811
1896, $5 Silver Certificate. . Fr-269. . KL-239. PMG Gem Uncirculated 65. The 1896 Five is far from a rare type, but it's a bit of a challenge to find a well margined, fully bright, strictly Uncirculated example. It is also America's most ornate series of paper money. The theme this timeless (see below). This one meets all the requirements for Gem 65 and then some. It is perfectly centered on both sides and has all the eye appeal in the world.
The design for the Series of 1896 $5 Educational note is by Walter Shirlaw, a muralist who was commissioned to design the $5 and (unissued) $10 notes for this series. Once Walter Shirlaw prepared his design, with the winged central vignette approved, G.F.C. Smillie began the process of engraving plates. The various steps in this exacting process took months. The central vignette is entitled "Electricity Presenting Light to the World." The central figure, representing Electricity, holds a light bulb, presumably of the incandescent type perfected by Thomas A. Edison just a few years earlier. Other figures represent Force, to the left, Fame, with the trumpet, and Peace, seen here with a dove.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 17,000.
Ex: John E. Cash Collection.
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