Heritage Offers PMG-certified 1882 Gold Certificate Worth Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

An eye-popping Gold Certificate is among more than 1,200 banknotes that are certified by PMG® and being offered in a sale presented by Heritage Auctions. Online bidding is already underway for Heritage's CSNS U.S. Currency Signature Auction #3601, which concludes on April 28 to May 1, 2026.

The top PMG-graded highlight in the auction is an 1882 $1,000 Gold Certificate graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 22163), with an estimate of at least $475,000. Featuring the portrait of Alexander Hamilton at right, this rarity is one of only two examples of the Friedberg# 1218e catalog number that are known to be in private hands, with two others in institutional collections and a fifth unaccounted for in recent decades. Only 8,000 examples of these high-denomination notes with this particular signature combination were issued.

Another PMG-graded highlight in the auction is a 1918 $1,000 Federal Reserve Note (Cleveland) graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 22143), with an estimate of at least $200,000. The $1,000 Federal Reserve Note represents the highest issued denomination available to collectors for Large Size Currency. Of the examples of this catalog number in the PMG Population Report, this particular note is unmatched, the sole-highest of the mere eight examples there. No examples are known with a higher grade, according to the auction house.

Another $1,000 denomination is also drawing interest in the auction: an 1861 $1,000 Confederate States of America Treasury Note graded PMG 58 Choice About Uncirculated EPQ (lot 22006), with an estimate of $100,000. Created as part of the March 9, 1861, Act by the newly established Confederate States of America, a total of $1 million in Confederate Treasury Notes were authorized, which included 607 notes of the $1,000 denominations. Part of the iconic four-type Montgomery series, which were issued from the temporary capital of Montgomery, Alabama, this particular note boasts the enviable EPQ designation, making it the sole finest of its type in the PMG Population Report.

In addition to these stunning PMG-certified rarities, the auction also includes an impressive selection of National Bank Notes, including a San Juan, Island of Porto Rico 1902 $10 National Bank Note graded PMG 12 Fine, with an estimate of at least $125,000. Learn more about them here.

Other PMG-certified notes in the auction include:

• an 1861 $5 Confederate States of America Treasury Note graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 22019), with an estimate of at least $60,000
• an 1882 $100 Gold Certificate graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 22157), with an estimate of at least $60,000
• a 1905 $20 Gold Certificate graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 22151), with an estimate of at least $50,000
• an 1896 $2 Silver Certificate graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 22066), with an estimate of at least $40,000
• a 1918 $500 Federal Reserve Note (New York) graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated (lot 22141), with an estimate of at least $40,000
• an 1861 $500 Confederate States of America Treasury Note graded PMG 35 Choice Very Fine (lot 22007), with an estimate of at least $35,000
• an 1882 $500 Gold Certificate graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 22161), with an estimate of at least $30,000
• an 1882 $100 Gold Certificate graded PMG 15 Choice Fine NET (lot 22158), with an estimate of at least $30,000
• a 1914 $100 Federal Reserve Note (Atlanta) graded PMG 55 About Uncirculated (lot 22132), with an estimate of at least $30,000
• a 1918 $1,000 Federal Reserve Note (Philadelphia) graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 22142), with an estimate of at least $25,000

Estimates are provided by the auction house.