Friedberg 93. 1862 $10 Legal Tender Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ. This handsome 1862 $10 Legal Tender Note is well preserved. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln at left was engraved by Charles Burt and based on a photograph taken by C.S. German. At center is the vignette of an eagle with shield originally created by Toppan, Carpenter and Company and used on currency of state-chartered banks. A goddess representing art stands at right with a paint palette and drawing board. Green die counter 10s are left and right of center while an ornate green printed security panel is centered near the bottom. Printed signatures of Chittenden and Spinner are at the bottom and a red spiked Treasury Seal is at right. The ornately printed green back has the First Obligation wording and style.The engraved design elements are sharply detailed on this crisp greenback $10. Vibrant green protector inks are featured on the face with die counter 10s flanking the eagle at center and a neatly detailed security bar centered below. A red spiked Treasury Seal is seen at right. PMG has graded just a single example of the type finer. The Series of 1862 $10 Legal Tender Notes, also called United States Notes, were made in substantial quantities and were first issued on April 2 of that year, contributing to nationwide fear of the depreciation of paper money, as these were not exchangeable at par for silver or gold coins, items that were rapidly disappearing from circulation.The face motifs are similar to those used on the 1861 Demand Notes, but on the Legal Tender Notes a red Treasury seal is added, and imprints differ. The face, back, and tint plates for the $10 Series of 1862 and 1863 Legal Tender Notes were engraved by the American Bank Note Company. National printed most (all?) of the First Obligation notes as here. American and National shared the printing for the Second Obligation notes. Treasury signatures of Chittenden and Spinner were printed on the face by using a separate plate and a special ink. <em>From Currency Auctions of Americas sale of May 1999, lot 1204; Heritages sale of September 2007, lot 15269. </em>
