Fr. 163. 1880 $50 Legal Tender Note. PMG Extremely Fine 40. An unsung rarity that often goes without its due, the Fr. 163 $50 Legal Tender Note has the distinction of being the rarest signature combination issued under the Series of 1880 for the $50 denomination. With a total of eight survivors confirmed by Track & Price and two of those impounded in institutional collections held by the Federal Reserve Banks of New York and San Francisco the opportunity for a collector to acquire a representative of this Friedberg is rare indeed. Featuring an ovoid portrait of Benjamin Franklin and a vignette of Columbia dressed for battle, this striking design reaches back to the Series of 1874 which replaced the Series of 1869 $50 Legal Tender Note that depicted Henry Clay after high quality counterfeits found their way to circulation. Of particular note, the signatures of Register Blanche K. Bruce and Treasurer Ellis H. Roberts are present in the signature panels along the bottom margin. Serving concurrently from December 1897 through March 1898, the tenure of Bruce and Roberts was one of the shortest concurrent tenures in the history of the Treasury Department. A true prize for the collector of means seeking to assemble an impressive collection of large size type notes. PMG Pop 1/1 Finer.ppp From the Porter Collection.
