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10 Dollars Small-Size Silver Certificate, Blue Seal Left
| Issuer | United States Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1933 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | A central intaglio portrait of Alexander Hamilton in three-quarter view is set within an oval frame at right of center, flanked to the left by a blue Treasury seal and to the right by the large blue numeral denomination TEN. The series designation SERIES OF 1933 appears above the portrait within a fine-line guilloche border rendered in dark green, with two facsimile signatures positioned at the lower left and lower right. The legal tender obligation and silver payability clause are inscribed across the upper register of the note. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in green intaglio and centers on a detailed engraving of the United States Treasury Building, its neoclassical facade flanked by trees rendered in fine crosshatch work. The denomination numeral 10 is repeated in each corner within ornate guilloche panels, and foliate scrollwork frames the overall composition. No secondary vignette is present; the design relies on the architectural subject and decorative geometric underprint for visual balance. |
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| Comments |
The 1933 $10 Silver Certificate is one of the rarest regularly issued small-size U.S. notes. Production was cut short almost immediately — only 216,000 were printed before the series was abandoned, a consequence of the Roosevelt administration's broader dismantling of the silver certificate system as monetary policy shifted dramatically in early 1933. Most were held by the Federal Reserve and never released to the public in any meaningful quantity.
The Morgenthau signature is the tell. He was confirmed as Treasury Secretary in January 1934, meaning his appearance on a note dated 1933 reflects the bureaucratic reality of how signature combinations were assigned to print runs rather than calendar years. That pairing with Woods makes this series unique and short-lived.