Lot of (2) Type of Friedberg 376 (W-2938). 1891 $50 Treasury Notes. PCGS Currency Gem New 66 PPQ and Superb Gem New 67 PPQ. Face and Back Proofs.Hessler-1043. India paper on card, trimmed to banknote size. B00000 serial numbers in red. Bottom center, under titles, portrait of William H. Seward. Left end, panel with sideways 50 die. Serpentine and staggered UNITED STATES OF AMERICA across top. Ornate borders and corner counters. Engraved signatures of Tillman - Morgan. Back, UNITED STATES separated by central design feature with FIFTY and DOLLARS above and below central obligation. 50 counters at all corners, save for the bottom right which is seen with a Roman numeral L. An iconic type note in any form and a design that was not implemented until this 1891 series. A proof impression of the never issued 1890 back design resides at the B.E.P. and is illustrated in Hessler. Once again the quality is remarkable with no traces of disturbance at any location. We are aware of just two proof notes for this series date, the piece presented here and another which was sold in Stacks 2010 Americana sale. The other differs slightly from this piece as it employed a Rosecrans - Huston signature combination. Face graded Gem New 66 PPQ, back is Superb Gem New 67 PPQ.<p>On the night of April 14, 1865, when actor John Wilkes Booth was firing the shot at Fords Theater that killed President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of State William H. Seward was struggling to survive his own assassination attempt at the hands of the Booth co-conspirator known as "Payne." Seward, who had been lying abed with an illness, received several knife wounds to his face and neck, and four men of his household who attempted to protect him were stabbed as well. Sewards face on the $50 Coin Note of 1891 looks strong and vital, taken from a photograph by Mathew A. Brady, but in mirror image. Later, after the assassination attempt, the statesman appeared considerably aged and weakened.From Lyn Knights sale of the John Whitney Walter Collection, October 16, 2004, part of lot 121.
