A Closer Look: Series Of 1896 $2 Silver Certificate

PCGS - The Series of 1896 Silver Certificates are referred to as the "Educational Series" in the hobby due to the design on the $1 "History Instructing Youth" issue. All three denominations in this series consist of elaborate allegorical artwork on the face of the note that makes one forget for a moment that they are looking at a banknote instead of a mural.



At the center of the $2 denomination is seen a group of five allegorical figures, and at the bottom we can see the title of the scene is "Science Presenting Steam and Electricity to Commerce and Manufacture." As the title suggests, the top female figure symbolizes science. She is presenting the two youths, the one at left holding a galvanic coil representing electricity and the one toward the right grasping a throttle depicting steam, to the two ladies at the bottom representing at left (with a money bag) commerce and at right (with machine and goods) manufacture.

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