Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27
MONEY SELDOM SEEN
LITTLE CIRCULATION OF $40, 600
GOLD CERTIFICATES.
Used Almost Exclusively by Banks
The "To Order" Notes-Popular
Ignorance Regarding Money.

cate to you," said q Treasury official to q
Star reporter, as he picked up from his
| desk a brand new gold certificate of this
| denomination and handed 1t to the latter
| Ito hold for q moment while tell you some
| things about the bills Of the highest de.
| nominations which will be found Of inter
| ests-~
These $4,000 notes. tho highest issued by
| this government, are not in general circu-
lation. They are never seen by the average
| individual. to whom a 800 note seems big.
and whose vision rarely rests upon a de-
| nomination higher than q $40 or perhaps
$50 note. Even rich men do not carry them
| around in their pockets. as some Of our
poorer brothers seem to think, and take
them out for covetous examination in quiet
and unseen corners.
They are almost exclusively used by
banks in making their settlements and In
various large financial transactions where
heavy amounts in actual cash must be
transferred from hand to hand or bank to
bank. They are, however. held by the
banks as part of their cash reserves. You
see 100 Of these notes make 100000 and
| they constitute q small package. little
over half an inch in thickness
I'm fact, package Of the $4,000 gold
certificates containing 1000 OF these notes
or so. OOO. 600. does not make q very large
bundle, such as q man can conveniently
Of similar package of the 5000 de-
nomination containing $2O.O00.0O0 SO man
could go along the street with both pack
ages under his arms. or with $4,000 600 IN
gold certificates without any trouble-if
he can get them to carry.
Tempting Inducements.
These large notes are also used for
clearing house purposes and where 1t Is
desired to convey large amount Of money
to- To t1v n
case in business transactions. They are
also held by custodians of trust funds as
by trustees. You see. 1t would take a great
amount of time to go over the reserves and
cash assets of a bank II small bfiis such
as the 500 denomination, for Instance. mad
to be counted, but 1t takes but few
minutes for bank to produce its cash re-
serves when the bills are Of the $1,000
5000 and $4,000 denomination.
Yes, indeed it does sound good to talk
about these bills of large denomination
but it would feel better to handle them If
you owned them, but when you are on a
salary one denomination lis about the same
as another. except as to the responsibility
Of their custody. We have about $6S, 600. 600
of the 10000 gold certificates in our vaults
in the Treasury, and about $26. O00Ov0 of the
s. 600 denomination. SO I guess we can do
business at the same old stand with these
bills for a little while longer.
Here is a note" said the Official hand
ing The Star man gold certificate for
10000, which is rarely seen by the gen.
eral public: You observe that the face
value Is $4,000, but that the back Of the
note Is perfectly blank without engraving
or printing of any kind-just as the original
paper came into the bureau Of engraving
and printing. but that on the face are two
blank spaces and lines near the bottom of
the note for the name of the indorsee and
the indorser.
These notes are called to order notes,
and have no negotiable value unless in
/ AnN rod md II oh oIo nm.
til they are filled out with the name of the
owner and his indorsee. These to order
notes are also used in large transactions
in financial circles and are found useful
in many instances.
Beautiful Specimens.
"They may also be used by trustees and
al trust funds. and can be put to many
purposes where 1t may not be desired to
use either the regular standard gold GER
tincate. or a certified check. But they are
somewhat Of a curiosity. and only COM
paratively few people have seen them.
1.-The gold certificates Of the larger de-
nominations are beautiful speciments Of the
engraver's and printers art. The paper
Is of the finest grade, OF course, the yellow
eoioring is richly attractive to the eye. as
no doubt the presence of a few in ones
pocket must be pleasing to the senses Of
the owner.
ION the face Of the $4,000 gold certia-
cate to the left appears the vignette Of
Jackson while the main feature to the
right Is a finely executed pieces Of scroll
work with the numerals of the denomina-
ton In the center thereof. Through the
center of the note. in artistically arranged
end engraved words. extending from the
top of the note to its base, appear the
words-which are substantially the same in
form upon all gold and silver certificates
been deposited in the Treasury its face
value in gold or silver coin. as the case
and the denomination of the certificate
may be.
ION the back of the $4,000 certificate the
scroll and the numerals appear on the left
hand side of the note. while on the right is
the eagle with outstretched wings and the
American flag. The 5000 god certificate is
substantially the same in general effect,
with the necessary change in the numerals.
and the vignette of Madison Is engraved
instead of Jackson. On the back the
eagle is much smaller than on the back
OF the 10000 gold certificate.
A Rare Curiosity.
Here Is a note which is a curiosity
for 1t Is the only one now in existence"
said the official. producing $4,000 United
States note. "that know IT, Notes of this
denomination are now made in the gold
certificates which have just described to
you. and which certify that their equiva-
lent amounts in gold coin have been de-
posted in the Treasury
This note. however. is a United States
legal tender note. which used to go under
the popular generic name of the greenback.
It also bears on the left-hand side the
vignette Of Jackson. with the scroll and
the numerals OF its face value on the right
hand side. But in the center the engrav-
ing and lettering states that the United
States will pay to bearer $4,000 on de-
maud. Its back Is very deliberately en-
graved. with the American flag and q
large eagle perched upon a rock in tho
center Of the nete, while to the right Is O
sea scene with the outlines Of several ships.
We are preserving this high denomina tional
old-styie legal tender note, which we be-
lfeve to be the last of its series, with much
care. and We keep 1t under glass to pre-
serve 1t.
mo. the notes Of the larger denomina-
lions are not counterfeited. that is. of the
big notes I have briefly out lined to you
though some Of the denominations which
are considered large by the general public
the $50 and 800 denominations are found
in spurious issues The counterfeiters con-
fine their attentions to the 81, s. and $40
denominations principally. as they are more
current The larger denominations are
scrutinized very carefully by the men who
handle them, mostly bank teIlers and
cashiers, and they would detect a counter
felt on sight. as they do the other de-
nominations, Of course. But it wouldn't
pay the counterfeiter to waste his energies
On the big bills m he doesn't ottav,nt a.