Indeed a highlight among highlights, this is perhaps one of the greatest pieces to be offered from Part I of the Shores Collection. Representative of one of just four known examples of this Friedberg Number, this is no doubt a remarkable offering and one bound to further illustrate the collected auction history of this exceedingly rare series and type often seen years or even decades apart. Bearing a strong resemblance to the Series of 1880 on account of the depiction of American financier Robert Morris and design elements such as the stacked arrangement of the engraved Treasury signatures the distinctive back design dominated by the word "SILVER" in bold immense block letters. Composition aside this is great example of the grade assigned by PMG and serves to further distinguish this rare specimen. Moderate albeit even circulation was the sum of this notes stint in commerce before it was likely saved alongside the Wade specimen (A766) through sheer circumstance before being forgotten. The blue streak laden with multitudes of silk fibers typical of the security paper supplied by the Wilcox Company is particularly attractive and appears in a horizontal orientation along the bottom margin. One can likely surmise that this note was printed around the time that the Bureau of Engraving & Printing was looking to exhaust its existing supply of Wilcox Company paper as Congress had just awarded a new contract to the politically connected Crane Paper Company of Massachusetts. By like comparison the reddish-pink Treasury overprint is a sight to behold and contrasts nicely with the denim-blue serial numbers and the engraved elements of the design. The "TEN" Protector found centered below the Treasury seal retains the same coloration as its counterpart above and serves to demonstrate the aesthetic distinctiveness of the 1870s endemic to notes issued before the introduction of the Series of 1880. Assistant Treasurer J.C. Hoppers penned countersignature is particularly well-composed and original, lacking the detriments that time has often inflicted on penned signatures from the period. No doubt the ink that was contained in Hoppers personal ink well was of a particularly high quality and not acidic like the ink favored by bankers and National Banks across the United States. The composition on the verso although shared with the Series of 1880 is particularly attractive on this specimen and magnified by the originality endemic to the paper body. The aforementioned arrangement anchored by the word "SILVER" remains clear and distinct with evidence of circulation easily overlooked. The imprint of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing along the bottom margin is complete and seen with margins unmarred by extensive circulation unlike the Albert A. Grinnell example (A18758) and the Anderson example (A4249) which show edge splits evident on the verso along the margins. This is by all means a superior specimen and one that demonstrates a level of eye appeal shared only with the Wade Specimen. Yet such an opportunity is bound to be a fleeting one when considering the history this piece traces back over almost 70 years. The earliest mention of this note being offered can be traced back to the collection of William Philpott Jr. in the late 1950s in the April 1958 edition of <em>The Numismatist</em>. There this piece was offered for the then-princely sum of $1,000 and was described as "better than Wade specimen" which appeared on one of Wades fixed price lists for $900. Whether this note sold then is anyones guess, but by the time it was offered again in 1992 in a Stacks auction it realized $16,500 and was later sold again less than three years later for $27,500. Off the market for almost three decades after 1995 it sat waiting away from the public eye until January 2023. When it was offered in 2023 the price realized for this note was nothing short of remarkable even by the most objective of standards. Realizing a total of $312,000 this note eclipsed the figure of $240,000 realized by the Wade specimen in 2018. Whether this item meets or exceeds the realization achieved by the Wade specimen in 2018 or the figure from 2023 is anyones guess, but the level of eye appeal offered by this piece is nothing short of exceptional and portends a session of bidding that is bound to be remembered.<p><strong>Robert Morris (1734 - 1806)</strong><p>Born in England, Robert Morris came to British North America in 1747 at the age of 13 where he first landed in Maryland and later moved to Philadelphia roughly two years later where he became an apprentice to Charles Wiling who operated a firm that specialized in banking and shipping. Come 1757 Morris became a partner in the firm roughly three years after Willings death in 1754. The firm under Morriss leadership expanded rapidly and collaborated with other Philadelphia-based shipping firms. In 1769 Morris would marry Mary White, the daughter of a prominent lawyer and landowner while the two would come to have seven children and would further oversee several household servants and slaves. In the prelude to the Revolution, Morris, like many of his peers, did not favor independence from England and would only come to sign the Declaration of Independence long after most of his peers had already affixed their signatures. Despite his initial reluctance and optimism that the Colonies could reconcile with England, Morris would play a crucial role in securing American independence by procuring arms and ammunition and would take a leading role in organizing the Bank of North America in the early 1780s. Morris would later ascend to the position of Superintendent of Finance and would take part in the Annapolis and Philadelphia Conventions where he would come to be one of the 39 signers of the Constitution. Morris further holds the distinction of being one of just six signers to sign both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Morris in turn would become a United States Senator for Pennsylvania and would become the first Senator to occupy Pennsylvanias Class III seat in the United States Senate. Morris would hold that position through 1795 when he chose to retire and would be succeeded by William Bingham after a fairly unremarkable tenure which saw him turn down the position of Secretary of the Treasury when offered by President Washington. It was during his tenure as Senator and following his retirement that Morris had begun to experience significant financial difficulties. Lacking the capital to pay off creditors, Morris was arrested in 1798 and sent to prison where he would remain until 1801 when his release was secured in-part by Congressional action and the passage of the Bankruptcy Act of 1800. Financially ruined, Morris lived out his remaining years in relative obscurity and would die in May 1806 at the age of 72. No public ceremonies accompanied his death, and Morris was interred on the grounds of Christ Church in Philadelphia with a fairly simple grave marking where he was laid to rest. Few honors were paid to Morris in the years and decades following his death. In a numismatic context, Morris was honored with a depiction on the first iteration of the $1000 Legal Tender Note and would also be depicted on the Series of 1878 and Series of 1880 $10 Silver Certificates. A handful of ships in the service of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard have borne the name <em>Morris</em> while the borough of Morrisville in Bucks County was named in honor of Morris in 1804. Morris is among the subjects depicted as part of Constantino Brumidis fresco <em>The Apotheosis of Washington</em> which can be seen through the oculus of the dome of the Capitol Rotunda. Here Brumidi depicts Morris as a primary subject of the scene entitled "Commerce" with Morris receiving a bag of gold symbolic of finance from the likes of Mercury reflective of his service to the American cause during the Revolution. <p><p>From the Shores Collection Part I.
