Friedberg 115 (W-1295). 1901 $10 Legal Tender Note. PCGS Currency Choice About New 58 PPQ. Serial Number 1.Few notes in American currency collecting are as iconic as the Series of 1901 $10 Legal Tender Notes popularly known as "Bison Notes." The presently offered note is one of only three serial number 1 examples of the type extant. This Lyons-Treat signed note is well margined on bright, crisp paper. Bold red overprints are seen including the striking A1 serial numbers at lower left and top right. Long recorded in the census as Choice Uncirculated and offered as such when it last appeared in a June 2005 Stacks auction, the note is now encapsulated as Choice About New with the numeric grade of 58 PPQ by PCGS. Upon inspection some handling is seen in the left margin from the back of the note. Also from the back, a light bend can be seen in the bottom right corner, likely the grade limiting factor preventing the full New grade assignment. Serial number 1 notes were only possible for the first three signature combinations of Bison Notes issued. All three notes are known. The Fr.114 serial number 1, the first Bison note printed, is graded Very Fine 30 PPQ by PCGS and last sold for $64,625 in 2013. The note offered here realized $74,750 in its aforementioned appearance in 2005. The Fr.116 serial number 1 was described as Very Choice New when it realized $66,125 in a September 2004 auction. Without a doubt this is one of the most desirable Bison Notes in existence, a "trophy note" deluxe!<p><p><strong>$10 Legal Tender Notes, Series of 1901</strong><p>Bison Notes are popular for their motifs inspired by the American West. The face of this and other Bison Notes features the portraits of legendary explorers Meriwether Lewis at left and William Clark at right. This famous duo led the Corps of Discovery Expedition westward out of Saint Louis, along the Missouri River, from 1804-1806 at the direction of President Thomas Jefferson after the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. At center on the face of the note is an American Bison standing broadside but looking straight on at the viewer. The bison vignette is based on a sketch by Charles Knight of Pablo who lived at the National Zoological Park in Washington from 1897 to 1914. The back design features Columbia standing between two pillars and two scrolls at center.<em>From Stacks sale of June 2005, lot 370. </em>
