The only Fr. 1215d $500 1882 Federal Reserve Gold Certificate known to exist other than a specimen in the public collection at the Smithsonian Institution is expected to bring $2 million at Heritage Auctions‘ FUN (Florida United Numismatists) Offerings, scheduled for January 8-12, and January 13, 2014 in Orlando. It comes from the estate of a turn of the century banker and includes three other incredible Gold Certificate rarities. The auction includes some of the rarest notes in private hands, including the precious Fr. 379b $1,000 1890 Treasure Note, popularly referred to as the Small Seal Grand Watermelon note, which is also expected to fetch $2 million. The 2014 FUN auction comes nine months after a Heritage set a world record for a U.S. banknote as a $1,000 1891 Treasury Note brought a record $2.58 million in April in Schaumburg, Ill.
This year’s auction will feature some of the world’s rarest notes, including a Fr. 1218d $1,000 1882 Gold Certificate. Referred to as a Large Brown Spiked Seal note, the specimen is one of four known, with two in private hands, estimated at $1million. A stunning Fr. 1202a $100 1882 Gold Certificate could bring $700,000, while a unique Fr. 11a $20 1861 Demand Note dates to a period when such notes were hand-signed by Treasury clerks is estimated to fetch $600,000.
