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20 Dollars Federal Reserve Bank Note, Brown Seal
| Issuer | Federal Reserve Bank (United States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1929 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 157 × 66 mm |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents an intaglio engraving of the White House's south facade, rendered in green ink with fine architectural detail including the columned portico, flanking wings, and surrounding grounds with trees. Denomination counter numerals "20" appear in guilloche ovals at all four corners, with ornate acanthus-leaf scroll work at the left and right margins. The legend "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arches across the top, while "TWENTY DOLLARS" runs in bold lettering along the lower margin with "WHITE HOUSE" inscribed beneath the central vignette. |
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| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Variants | P#397Ar - A - Boston MA Replacement note with serial + suffix * P#397B - B - New York NY P#397C - C - Philadelphia PA P#397D - D - Cleveland OH P#397E - E - Richmond VA P#397F - F - Atlanta GA P#397G - G - Chicago IL P#397H - H - St. Louis MO P#397I - I - Minneapolis MN P#397J - J - Kansas City MO P#397K - K - Dallas TX P#397L - L - San Francisco CA |
| Comments |
The 1929 Federal Reserve Bank Notes were a deliberate downsizing decision — the U.S. Treasury reduced note dimensions that year to cut printing costs, ending the large-format "horse blanket" era that had defined American paper money since the Civil War. Unlike the contemporaneous Federal Reserve Notes with their green Treasury seal, the FRBNs carried a brown seal and bore the obligation of the issuing Federal Reserve Bank directly, not the United States government — a legal distinction that made them a hybrid between national bank notes and true federal currency.
The series was short-lived. Production effectively ended by 1933, and the FRBН designation was quietly abandoned as the New Deal reshaped the banking system.