Collecting Paper Money - Littleton Coin Company

Do you have a fortune in your attic?
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Do you have a fortune
in your attic?
One of the great thrills of paper money collecting is the never-ending
possibility of discovering an unexpected rare old note that will bring hundreds
or thousands of dollars to the lucky owner. Because there are so many
different varieties of paper money not adequately described in catalogs, it’s
still possible to make such a find.
These discoveries cause excitement with both the public and the
collecting community, and gain publicity for the hobby. This is exactly what
happened to two lucky people who inherited paper money that turned out
to be valuable!
That’s a rare note!
Several years ago, a New England resident inherited an antique red leather
billfold filled with old paper money. Because it had belonged to his
great-grandfather, a New York City banker, he was curious about what he
had received.
Unable to find any information, he approached two different coin
dealers, who offered him $2,000 and $1,100 respectively for the entire 64-note
collection. Fortunately, he brought it to Littleton Coin Company. When
president David Sundman saw the note from about five feet away, he
exclaimed, “That’s a rare note!”
It turned out to be a previously unreported 6th example of an ultra-rare
Civil War era $20 Gold Certificate, Friedberg no. 1166b. This elusive note was
part of a series authorized by Congress on March 3, 1863, in denominations
of $20 to $10,000, to help finance the Civil War. The owner’s great-grandfather
had put this note and others away. Through Littleton Coin’s efforts on the
owner’s behalf, it was sold in seconds at auction in March 2001 for $242,000.
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Shown against the antique red wallet, this ultra-rare note was hand-dated and signed
by H. H. Van Dyck, assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury in New York. His signature
made this note even more desirable, as it is one of only two known with his autograph.
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