Catalog
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| Issuer | United States Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1890 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Dollar (1 USD) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in green with an elaborate intaglio design centered on the large block letters "ONE" rendered in open outline against a dense lathe-work guilloche background of interlocking geometric and floral rosette patterns. A large numeral "1" within a complex oval guilloche medallion anchors the left side, while an ornate cartouche on the right carries the legal tender clause in small letterpress text. Corner devices bearing "ONE" and "DOLLAR" in oval frames, and a bottom border of floret rosettes flanking the Treasury seal cypher, complete the composition. |
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| Signature(s) | 1890 - James William Huston and James Fount Tillman 1890 - James William Huston and Daniel N. Morgan 1890 - Ezra B. Ellsworth and Daniel N. Morgan |
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| Comments |
Treasury Notes of 1890 were authorized under the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which required the government to buy 4.5 million ounces of silver monthly and pay for it with these notes — redeemable in either gold or silver coin at the Treasury's discretion. That dual-redemption clause was politically calculated, satisfying silver advocates without formally abandoning gold convertibility. The arrangement collapsed within three years; the Sherman Act was repealed in 1893 amid a severe financial panic, and Treasury Note issuance ended with it.
Three signature combinations appear across Fr#347–349, reflecting rapid turnover in the Register of the Treasury position during a politically turbulent period. Ellsworth served only briefly, making Fr#349 the scarcest of the three pairings.