New Large $20 Gold Certificate

The pics are really terrible (I have a new computer, now with Windows 10, and am having problems getting the scans to set up properly). The color on this note is bright and fully typical of large-size gold notes, and is meant to be "orange" and not "yellow" like the seal and denomination on the obverse.

Truthfully, I buy notes on ebay, from on-line dealer sites, from auction firms like Heritage, and occasionally at shows. The price I pay basically reflects many, many years of buying and selling PM and having a sort-of built-in data base in my head to access when making a decision, if you know what I mean. All collectors (of anything) develop this ability over the years.

In short, there is no substitute for experience. My advice would be to collectors of any age starting in a new field: go to shows, scour ebay, check Heritage Auctions and its archives, and DON'T BUY until you have studied your subject carefully.

The adage used to be "Buy the Book Before the Coin." In the age of the internet, that could be updated to "Search Carefully Online Before Buying the Coin."

The 65 grade NA $1 I got today is in an older CGA holder.. Not sure if I like the holder or not..

I don't have any CGA notes to post unfortunately. I've never been a fan of their holders.

Here ya go..

I only have the one gold certificate, quite badly beaten up



I definitely intend to add a $20 though, its probably one of my favourite American notes... the design of the writing is just so pleasing but I find it hard to collect over here, I have yet to find a decent source for US notes (except Dave who seems to be out of the game at the moment with his own issues to attend to)

CollectorKing - nice early generation CGA note; could we see the reverse please!

Silverbob - looks like a very decent VF; GCs are for sure my favorite large-size 20th c. notes to take out and enjoy.

DavidUK - Would like too help you if I could.

Timewise - True, but try to imagine how limited your choices were before the internet. Many LCSs had little PM to show, and few PM dealers advertised in the rags, so going to shows was often the only real option - and that could get expensive. Feel free to e-mail me if you have questions that might not be of general interest.

I always wonder why Hilegas was chosen for this design in 1907 when there so many other possible candidates. It is a dashing portrait and a beautiful note, but he is surely one of the most obscure people in American history to hold such an honor.

This is also notable as one of only a handful of large-size issues that embodied the basic design features of the small-size notes issued some 20 years later.