Educational Series
Encyclopedia
The Educational Series series of notes is the informal nickname given by numismatists to a series of United States
Silver Certificate
s produced by the United States Treasury in 1896, after Bureau of Printing and Engraving chief Claude M. Johnson ordered a new currency design. The notes depict various allegorical motifs and are considered by some numismatists
to be the most beautiful monetary designs ever produced by the United States.
depict a neoclassical
allegorical motif, which dominates the front of the note. The motifs are meant as representations of the theme written on the note. The back contained the profiles of two American figures (usually famous Americans) set against an ornate background.
Denominations of $1, $2, and $5 were produced. In addition to $1, $2 and $5 notes denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 were also planned. Designs for a $10 and $50 denomination were being prepared but were never completed or produced before the series was abandoned and replaced by the series of 1899.
The term "Educational" is most likely derived from the border design of the $1 note which includes the names of 23 famous Americans.
Front Face Designer: Will H. Low
Engraver: Charles Schlecht
Rear Back Designer: Thomas F. Morse
George Washington Vignette Engraver: Alfred Sealey (1867)
Martha Washington Vignette Engraver: Charles Burt (1878)
$2 "Science presenting steam and electricity to Commerce and Manufacture"
Central Vignette Designer: Edwin H. Blashfield
Central Frame and Background Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Vignette Engraver: G. (George) F. C. Smillie
Border Engraver: Charles Schlecht
Rear Back Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse Vignette Engraver: Lorenzo J. Hatch
$5 "Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World"
Central Vignette Designer: Walter Shirlaw
Border Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Central Vignette Engraver: G. F. C. Smillie
Border Engraver: Thomas F. Morse
Rear Back Designer: Lorenzo J. Hatch and Thomas F. Morse
Rear Back Engraver: G. F. C. Smillie
Ulysses S. Grant and Phillip Sheridan Vignette Engraver: Lorenzo J. Hatch
society ladies took offense to the design. Some bankers reportedly refused to accept the notes in transactions, and the term banned in Boston
allegedly originates from the $5 Silver Certificate. In response the Bureau of Engraving and Printing prepared a "draped" bosom $5 vignette design for a proposed 1897 series. The redesign also included a highly modified front face but was never utilized.
Also for the first time in 1893 Bureau authorities invited a small group outside artists and engravers to submit design proposals for the new series of notes. The presence of the outside group caused tremendous creative problems within the BEP. Great personality conflicts and jealousy could be one reason that although the $1 design was approved in July of 1894 the remaining two notes were not accepted until late 1895. At one point during the process BEP designer Thomas Morse resigned. Coupled with being banned in Boston the notes were quickly replaced by the Series of 1899 notes.
Portions of this article used material from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
website, which is in the public domain.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Silver Certificate
Silver Certificate
Silver Certificates are a type of representative money printed from 1878 to 1964 in the United States as part of its circulation of paper currency. They were produced in response to silver agitation by citizens who were angered by the Fourth Coinage Act, which had effectively placed the United...
s produced by the United States Treasury in 1896, after Bureau of Printing and Engraving chief Claude M. Johnson ordered a new currency design. The notes depict various allegorical motifs and are considered by some numismatists
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
to be the most beautiful monetary designs ever produced by the United States.
Design
The obverse of the notesPaper Money
Paper Money is the second album by the band Montrose. It was released in 1974 and was the band's last album to feature Sammy Hagar as lead vocalist.-History:...
depict a neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
allegorical motif, which dominates the front of the note. The motifs are meant as representations of the theme written on the note. The back contained the profiles of two American figures (usually famous Americans) set against an ornate background.
Denominations of $1, $2, and $5 were produced. In addition to $1, $2 and $5 notes denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 were also planned. Designs for a $10 and $50 denomination were being prepared but were never completed or produced before the series was abandoned and replaced by the series of 1899.
The term "Educational" is most likely derived from the border design of the $1 note which includes the names of 23 famous Americans.
Design and Production Credits
$1 "History instructing Youth"Front Face Designer: Will H. Low
Engraver: Charles Schlecht
Rear Back Designer: Thomas F. Morse
George Washington Vignette Engraver: Alfred Sealey (1867)
Martha Washington Vignette Engraver: Charles Burt (1878)
$2 "Science presenting steam and electricity to Commerce and Manufacture"
Central Vignette Designer: Edwin H. Blashfield
Central Frame and Background Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Vignette Engraver: G. (George) F. C. Smillie
Border Engraver: Charles Schlecht
Rear Back Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse Vignette Engraver: Lorenzo J. Hatch
$5 "Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World"
Central Vignette Designer: Walter Shirlaw
Border Designer: Thomas F. Morse
Central Vignette Engraver: G. F. C. Smillie
Border Engraver: Thomas F. Morse
Rear Back Designer: Lorenzo J. Hatch and Thomas F. Morse
Rear Back Engraver: G. F. C. Smillie
Ulysses S. Grant and Phillip Sheridan Vignette Engraver: Lorenzo J. Hatch
Controversy
The naked breasts of the female figures on the $5 Silver Certificate reportedly caused some minor controversy when several BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
society ladies took offense to the design. Some bankers reportedly refused to accept the notes in transactions, and the term banned in Boston
Banned in Boston
"Banned in Boston" was a phrase employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century to describe a literary work, motion picture, or play prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, USA...
allegedly originates from the $5 Silver Certificate. In response the Bureau of Engraving and Printing prepared a "draped" bosom $5 vignette design for a proposed 1897 series. The redesign also included a highly modified front face but was never utilized.
Also for the first time in 1893 Bureau authorities invited a small group outside artists and engravers to submit design proposals for the new series of notes. The presence of the outside group caused tremendous creative problems within the BEP. Great personality conflicts and jealousy could be one reason that although the $1 design was approved in July of 1894 the remaining two notes were not accepted until late 1895. At one point during the process BEP designer Thomas Morse resigned. Coupled with being banned in Boston the notes were quickly replaced by the Series of 1899 notes.
External references
- A Guide Book Of United States Paper Money: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Prices by Arthur L. Friedberg (Compiler), Ira S. Friedberg (Compiler), and Q. David Bowers. ISBN 0-7948-1786-6
- FRBSF Currency Exhibit
Portions of this article used material from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco
The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is the federal bank for the twelfth district in the United States. The twelfth district is made up of nine western states-—Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington--plus the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa,...
website, which is in the public domain.