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5 Dollars Silver Certificate
| Issuer | United States Treasury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central right vignette presents an intaglio portrait of Ulysses S. Grant in three-quarter view, set within an ornate engraved frame, with a large numeral V to its right. To the left, an elaborate guilloche rosette surrounds the numeral 5, with the words FIVE SILVER DOLLARS rendered in bold letterpress at center. The obligation text and script inscription Payable to the bearer on demand appear in cursive below, flanked by fine lathe-work borders typical of the Series 1886 large-format Treasury issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in green and composed of three large intaglio vignettes of Morgan silver dollars arranged horizontally across the note, with the central coin displayed face-on showing the Liberty head design dated 1886. Elaborate scrollwork and lathe-work guilloche borders frame the composition, with the words UNITED STATES rendered in bold serif lettering flanking the central coin vignette. The denomination and certificate type are inscribed within a circular engraved panel at top center, and the printer's imprint appears at the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
The 1886 five-dollar Silver Certificate series was the first to carry a portrait on the reverse rather than the face — a deliberate departure from convention that generated genuine public confusion at the time. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was experimenting with intaglio depth and ink saturation across this series, and the various signature combinations (there are at least five known) reflect how frequently Treasury personnel turned over during the Cleveland administration.
Fr US#259 corresponds to the Rosecrans-Hyatt signature pairing, one of the shorter-lived combinations in the series.