1899 1 Dollar Silver Certificate Black Eagle Mug

Series of 1899 $1 Silver Certificate – Black Eagle History: There is nothing especially noteworthy about the 1899 $1 silver certificate. The issue was printed for more than two decades. So just because every bill says series of 1899, that does not mean that it was actually printed in 1899. You really have to focus on the signature combination and block letters to learn when the bill left the printing presses. The 1899 $1 bill is very common. You can walk into just about any coin store or coin show and see plenty of them. A lot of this has to do with their printing numbers. Literally hundreds of millions were issued by The United States. Thousands are still known to exist. Nickname: It doesn’t take much work to figure out the nickname of the 1899 $1 silver certificate. A quick glance shows three vignettes, an eagle, Ulysses S Grant, and Abraham Lincoln. Somewhere along the way the collecting world decided that this note should be called a “black eagle.” The name has stuck. Whether you have been collected for a week or your entire life, you certainly know what a black eagle is. Grant and Lincoln often get overlooked. That might be for the best since both men are closely associated with several other large size pieces of currency. Other Facts: Black eagle 1899 $1 silver certificates are common. However, there are lots of ways to collect them. It is possible to get low serial numbers from all 12 signature combinations. For some reason it seems that 100s of low serial number and fancy serial number black eagle notes were saved. Obviously someone at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing appreciated serial number oddities. There are also a lot of what we call “courtesy autographs” available. A courtesy autograph means that the treasury official whose signature appears on the bank note, also hand signed the note. Even today you could mail a $1 bill to a treasury official and he or she might sign it for you. Back in the day you could do the same thing. Hundreds of courtesy autographed 1899 $1 bills are out there and held by collectors.