Friedberg Unlisted (W-Unlisted). 1897 $10 Silver Certificate. PCGS Currency Very Choice New 64. Face Essay Proof.Hessler-SCE24. The Hessler Plate Note. Black on India paper, mounted on original wide margin card. Signatures of Tillman-Morgan. No plate letter. Central vignette, Agriculture and Forestry. Similar to the composition as submitted for the Series of 1896, though the central vignette is styled somewhat differently, among other minor changes. This central vignette is also used on $1000 3% coupon bonds of 1898. Superbly styled border flourishes throughout. End counters in character with original art piece created for proposed 1896 notes. Without imprint of the B.E.P. line present. A choice example on card with some very minor card tone noted. We believe there might be five or six at best in private collections. With the exception of this sale, they have rarely been offered publicly.<p>Differing from the previous lot, missing the series markers found on this specimen and the one to follow. It is cataloged by Hessler as for the 1896 issue. When this proof is compared to the following lot, it is clear that the border design around the central figures is significantly different. The proposed back design for this issue appears to have been completed and accepted, based on an October 8, 1896, note from Thomas Morris, which is believed to reference it, "I am still very busy at the Bureau, although I am happy to say that the $10 back was accepted and off my mind." This design, however, is not known to exist today.From our Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection Sale, Part V, August 17, 2011, lot 5039; Dr. Glenn Jackson Collection, Nascas (a division of R.M. Smythe) sale of June 16, 1990, lot 3246.
