Exceptional U.S. Paper Rarities to Highlight the Stack’s Bowers Galleries Spring 2026 Showcase Auction

The three U.S. Currency sessions will be hosted on March 12 in Griffin Studios, located at the company’s Costa Mesa, California Headquarters, as well as online at StacksBowers.com. 

Part I (Session 5) offers a wide range of collectible currency including Colonial and Continental pieces, Fractional currency, and Obsolete notes, highlighted by a selection of Obsolete rarities from the Caine Collection. The Caine Collection offers standout pieces such as a $3 Proof impression on the Bank of Austin (Lot 5120) as well as an issued note from the Bank of Germantown (Lot 5196) that displays a vignette known as The White Bear engraved by DeWitt Clinton Hay based on the work of Felix O.C. Darley. Session 5 also presents a $5 Obsolete issued by the Kirtland Safety Society Bank (Lot 5184) that was later countersigned and reissued in Utah in the late 1840s.

Part II (Session 6) presents a rich variety of National Bank Notes and type pieces. The New Jersey National Bank Notes of the Clearwater Collection offer a curated selection of rare opportunities, among which is a Type 2 $5 issued by the National Bank of Palisades Park (Charter# 14088) during the early 1930s (Lot 6073). This note is unique for the issuing charter and has never traded in a public context. A selection of rarities on seldom traded charters from Bergen County locales like Lodi and Tenafly rounds out the offerings from the Clearwater Collection.

Part III (Session 7) is headlined by the Manhattan Beach Collection, which accounts for the core of the firm’s Rarities Night catalog and offers remarkable rarities that represent generational auction opportunities. The first lot of the section presents the sole finest Replacement $1 Legal Tender Note (Lot 7001) issued under the Series of 1928, which was largely released in Puerto Rico in the late 1940s. Bidders will also have the chance to consider a Serial Number 1 Replacement $100 Federal Reserve Note (Lot 7028), which was once a highlight of the John Whitney Walter Collection sold in 2004. Premium WWII-era Emergency Notes and Gold Certificates round out the fine selections of the Manhattan Beach Collection. A Replacement $20 Hawaii Emergency Note (Lot 7048) stands as the ultimate keystone for the collector looking to assemble a set of WWII-era Emergency Notes, as it is the sole finest graded by PMG. A Replacement $100 Gold Certificate (Lot 7057) issued under the Series of 1928 represents the only example of the Friedberg number at its grade level to bear the EPQ designation; it is also unsurpassed in technical terms at both major grading services.

Additional highlights from Session 7 include:

Lot 7009: Fr. 1609*. 1935A $1 Silver Certificate Star Note. (R) Experimental. PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ.

Lot 7012: Fr. 1700. 1933 $10 Silver Certificate. PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ.

Lot 7018: Fr. 1890-G*. 1929 $100 Federal Reserve Bank Star Note. Chicago. PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ.

Lot 7032: Fr. 2201-Gdgs*. 1934 Dark Green Seal $500 Federal Reserve Star Note. Chicago. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ.

Lot 7041: Fr. 2211-Cdgsm*. 1934 Dark Green Seal $1000 Federal Reserve Star Note. Mule. Philadelphia. PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ.

Lot 7056: Fr. 2404*. 1928 $50 Gold Certificate Star Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ.

Lot 7058: Fr. 2407. 1928 $500 Gold Certificate. PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ.

Lot 7059: Fr. 2408. 1928 $1000 Gold Certificate. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ.

The entire Stack’s Bowers Galleries Spring 2026 Showcase Auction is available for viewing and pre-sale bidding at StacksBowers.com. To consign to one of the firm’s upcoming auctions call 800-458-4646 or email Consign@StacksBowers.com.