Stack's Bowers Galleries Offers 1863 Gold Certificate and Other PMG-certified Rarities

One of the earliest Gold Certificates and several high-denomination Federal Reserve Notes are among the rarities certified by PMG® in an upcoming Stack's Bowers Galleries auction. Bidding is already underway for the Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction - Session 8 - US Currency - Rarities Night, which will be held on September 4, 2026.

With an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000, a top lot in the auction is an 1863 $20 Gold Certificate graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 23050). Only five are known to exist in private hands, according to the auction house. Among those, this one is even rarer because it has an engraved countersignature of Henry H. Van Dyck, the Assistant Treasurer of the United States in New York.

Also starring in the auction, with an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000, is a 1928 $5,000 Federal Reserve Note (Chicago) graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (lot 23095). The highest graded of five in the PMG Population Report, this is the same type of currency that Americans carry around in their wallets. However, the two highest denominations ($5,000 and $10,000) were only issued for Series 1928 and 1934, with extremely limited quantities that have earned them intense interest from the collecting community. This auction features another Series 1928 $5,000 Federal Reserve Note (Chicago) with a different grade: PMG 50 About Uncirculated (lot 23096) and an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000.

The auction also includes an example from the later series: a 1934 $5,000 Federal Reserve Note (St. Louis) graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated EPQ (lot 23097). The $5,000 notes from both series include a portrait of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. These high-denomination notes were typically used for transactions between financial institutions.

Other PMG-certified highlights of this auction include:

• an 1878 $10 Silver Certificate - New York graded PMG 30 Very Fine (lot 23031), with an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000
• an 1869 $100 Legal Tender graded PMG 45 Choice Extremely Fine (lot 23015), with an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000
• a 1918 $500 Federal Reserve Note (San Francisco) graded PMG 64 Choice Uncirculated (lot 23048), with an estimate of $125,000 to $175,000
• an 1886 $5 Silver Certificate graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Uncirculated EPQ (lot 23025), with an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000
• an 1863 $20 Interest Bearing Note graded PMG 25 Very Fine (lot 23020), with an estimate of $50,000 to $75,000
• an 1880 $100 Silver Certificate graded PMG 30 Very Fine and pedigreed to the Mike Coltrane Collection (lot 23034), with an estimate of $50,000 to $75,000

Estimates are provided by the auction house.