Serial Number Question

Whoa, that's crazy! I've never seen or heard of anything like that before. Maybe someone else can be of assistance...

Can we also see a picture of the full bill?

Here's a pic. It's on a 1899 Black Eagle silver certificate. I did some more research, it's a fr 229. Still trying to figure out what the symbol is used for though.

I fell in love with them recently and bought one last night at Heritage Auctions. I feel like they are more like buying a Rembrandt or Picasso! I'm going to the library tonight to look through the Robert Friedberg book to see if I can find out what that dang symbol is. Wish me luck.

Good job on getting the black eagle. I've been outbid on ebay with seconds to go in the bidding process twice now.

I went to the library and of course they couldn't find the Friedberg book in the reference section. I guess it's an oversized book and who knows where they stashed it. I had half the library looking for it.

So while I was there I browsed the currency Black Book. He made a reference that the symbol was used just to mark the ends of the serial number so no other numbers could be attached. I've seen the symbol sporadically on large silver certificates in different years. Can't imagine the printers would go from a letter to that symbol off and on just for the heck of it. I'm now thinking it might be when they are finished using up all the suffix letters?

I'm ordering a cross state transfer on the Friedberg book from another library out of town and it's a checkout book! When it arrives here some time next week I'll check it out.

I'm beginning to think the symbol is pretty typical. When I first saw it I thought wow, I've got a winner here. I've seen them on a lot of series 1800's silver certs since then. Not just the fr 229. That's why I need the Friedberg book, he wrote the book on fr (friedberg) types of large silver certs.

The more I look into these bills, of course the condition has a lot to do with the value (although I love the look of the well used ones) and the rarity. From what little I've learned so far, the placement of the series and different combinations of signatures denote rarity. But now I see a different reverse side to the 1899 also. Which I find is a lot more appealing. Same reverse as a 1923 if I'm not mistaken. Lots to learn yet.