Fr. 245. 1891 $2 Silver Certificate. PMG Superb Gem Uncirculated 67 EPQ. An uncommon note in high grades that is scarcely seen even among the display cases of established dealers and sparingly at auction at this grade level. The present note offers much to the prospective bidder. From the superior eye appeal which focuses the viewers attention, the frame-like margins to the deftly applied inks that appear as fresh as the day this note rolled off the printing press at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing one cannot deny the qualities which led to this example being awarded its uncommon grade at the hands of the PMG grading staff. A portrait of William Windom is seen at center replacing an earlier portrait of General Winfield Scott Hancock (a Democrat) who is seen on the $2 Silver Certificates issued under the Series of 1886. Windom a Republican, served a long and distinguished career in national politics. First serving as a representative and later as a longtime senator from Minnesota serving three nonconsecutive terms, Windom is perhaps best known for his service as Treasury Secretary under Presidents Garfield, Arthur, and finally Harrison where his tenure come to an abrupt and untimely end when he died giving a speech at Delmonicos Steak House. Windoms portrait is likewise accompanied by various design elements that suitably distinguish this note from a sea of contemporaries. Of note, the layout which explains the backing of this note with silver dollars held by the Treasury resembles the composition of period circus posters, a trait which has contributed to the popularity of a certain subset of National Bank Notes owing to the title layout at center. Four distinct and uniquely shaped denomination counters are seen in each corner in conjunction with the bright cherry-red Treasury Seal seen above the engraved signature of Treasurer Enos H. Nebeker. In an aesthetic departure from the Series of 1886, the back design saw an extensive rearrangement indicative of changing preferences at the Treasury Department for open back designs emphasizing empty space. The Treasury which believed that overly complex back designs made notes susceptible to counterfeiting invoked a shift towards aesthetic simplicity in the 1890s which was briefly interrupted by the "Educational" Series of 1896 and found root in each successive series until it found its truest form in 1928 with the shift to small size notes. The design which stands as one of the more unusual designs from the period emphasizes a pair of large denomination counters at both ends with subsidiary counters branching off the primary counter as a branch would a tree. Both underlaid with complex geometric lathework and adorned with floral adornments the denomination counters are likewise joined by the redemption clause at center. A rare opportunity for the discerning connoisseur of type notes or Silver Certificates to acquire a "Windom" deuce of uncommon quality to their personal holdings. PMG Pop 10/1 Finerpp From the Porter Collection.
