History Instructing Youth
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History Instructing Youth is a series 1896 United States one-dollar bill. It was part of the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing's Educational Series and the series was replaced in 1899. It is considered one of the most popular US large-size notes. The scene on the note's obverse is allegorical and the woman appears to be instructing the young boy about United States history.
Description
[edit]The obverse of the note features the names of 23 people within wreaths around the border.[1] The majority of the names were notable politicians but the names of inventor Robert Fulton and poet Henry Longfellow also appear in the wreathes.[2] The Washington Memorial and the capitol building are visible on the obverse. History is on the left of the obverse and to the left of her is a boy representing youth.[1] The $1 certificate's theme focussed on the past and the two other denominations in the Educational Series, the $2 and $5, featured national progress and technology.[3] The scene on the note's obverse is allegorical and the woman on the obverse seems to be instructing the young boy about United States history.[4] In the scene on the History Instructing Youth note, History is reclining on a marble block and she is pointing at a book while the boy looks on. The American flag is laid across her lap and her head is adorned with a laurel wreath. Each bottom corner of the note's obverse has an illustration of an open book. The note states, "This certifies that there has been deposited in the Treasury of the United States one silver dollar, payable to bearer on demand.[5] To the right on the obverse there is a red seal. The reverse features two allegorical winged figures and portraits of the first US president George Washington and his wife Martha Washington.[1][6]
Large-note varieties of US currency were often referred to as "Horse Blankets".[7][8] The 1899 large-size History Instructing Youth measured 7.38 in (187 mm) by 3.18 in (81 mm).[9][10] In 1928 the United States transitioned to small-size notes which measured 6.14 in (156 mm) by 2.61 in (66 mm).[7]
History
[edit]The obverse of the note was designed by Will Hicok Low and it was called History Instructing Youth.[1] The design of the bill was accepted on July 10, 1894 and printing began April 18, 1896.[11] The engraving for the obverse of the one-dollar History Instructing Youth note was done by Charles Schlecht.[12]
The design of the reverse was executed by Thomas F. Morris. The reverse featured complex lathework and winged figures in the upper corners.[2] The reverse also features twwo portraits which were completed earlier. In 1878, Charles Burt engraved the portrait of Martha and in 1867 Alfred Sealey engraved the portrait of George.[11][13]
The one dollar note wwas part of a series known as the Educational Series and it included a redesigned, one, two, five and ten-dollar bill.[1] The US Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced fifteen separate plates for production of the note.[14] For the first time the BEP chose to forgo lathework in order to give designers a larger area to incorporate their design. This decision to omit elaborate lathework allowed counterfeiters to forge the note without dealing with complicated lathework on the obverse. The note was considered a failure and it was replaced in 1899 after complaints from the public.[4] The note became popular among collectors for its beauty. In the book United States Paper Money' Arthur and Ira Friedberg said History Instructing Youth is the famous "Educational Note" and "Perhaps the most popular large-size note.[15][13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Our New Money". Burlington Gazette. 3 December 1895. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ a b Noe, Rain (29 April 2013). "The Best-Looking-Ever U.S. Money was Designed in the 1890s". Core77. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ Lee, Peter Y.W. (11 June 2021). "The U.S. Government's Failed Attempt to Forge Unity Through Currency". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ a b Gibbs, William T. (19 December 2015). "1896 silver certificates were Beautiful Failures". CoinWorld. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "Real Art in New Bills". St. Paul Daily Globe. 8 September 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Dauer, Joanne C.; Dauer, Edward A. (2002). American History as Seen Through Currency: A Pictorial History of United States Currency as Seen Throughout Important Historical Events. Dallas, Texas: Heritage Capital Corporation. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-9728466-0-8. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ a b Miller, Zoë (17 October 2018). "How the dollar has changed over the years". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ P, Helen (10 September 2019). "How Funnyback Notes Earned Their Name". Littleton Coin Blog. Littleton Coin Company, Inc. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "All Kinds Of U.S Large-Size Paper Money – Large Bills Currency". Collectibles & Currency. Collectibles & Currency. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Cruikshank, Moses (March 1, 1986). The Life I've Been Living. Fairbanks: University of Alaska Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-912006-23-9. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Making of History: Educational Series (Part 1)". pmgnotes. Paper Money Guarantee. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "1 Dollar Silver Certificate Educational Series". en.numista.com. Numista.
- ^ a b Green, Paul M. (28 February 2012). "When the $1 note was silver-backed". Numismatic News. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- ^ "World's Fair Medals Ready". New York Times. 28 April 1896. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Friedburg, Arthur L. and Ira S. (9 October 2018). A Guide Book of United States Paper Money, 6th Edition (6th ed.). Atlanta ,Georgia: Whitman Publishing LLC. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-7948-4635-0. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
