About US Legal Tender Notes

First introduced in 1862 and remaining in circulation until 1971, United States Notes, or Legal Tender Notes as they are also called, were the original "greenbacks" thanks to their green, reverse sides. At the time of their debut, the notes were controversial because they were not backed by gold. In other words, the paper was valuable simply because the government said it was.

The earliest United States Notes look a bit like stock certificates, with their detailed, patterned engraving and formal appearance. Collectors seek out these earliest notes, of course, but they also go for the so-called Rainbow Notes of 1869, which were colored in green, red, and blue, and had red and blue jute fibers in the paper to prevent counterfeiting...

The currency was redesigned several times in the 1870s and in 1880. A much beloved note is the $10 bill from 1901, whose front features a buffalo flanked by portraits of Lewis and Clark. A few years later, in 1907, the same image of a pioneer family that had graced the fronts of 1869 United States Notes also appeared on that year’s $5 bill.

Smaller notes with red seals on their faces, similar to the size of today’s currency, were printed in 1928, 1953, 1963, and 1966, but by that time Federal Reserve Notes were much more widely circulated—in 1910, United States Notes accounted for one-tenth of all paper money in circulation, but by 1960 that percentage had dropped to one-hundredth. It was not until the 1990s that Congress eliminated an 1878 statute requiring the Treasury to issue United States Notes.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Continue reading

Post an Event

Upcoming Events

See all 25 US Paper Money events


Interviews & Articles

An Interview with Kentucky Bank Note Collector Tony Swicer

I started collecting when I was about 10 years old. My father was in the Air Force, so he got me started collecting… [more]

An Interview with Smithsonian Coin and Currency Curator Richard Doty

When I was 8 years old I had a friend named Jimmy Hood. His father was in the army, and he had been on the staff wi… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

American Currency Exhibit

American Currency Exhibit

This collection, from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, runs from 1690 through half a dozen eras including… [read review or visit site]

Bank Note Bank

Bank Note Bank

This world banknote and currency image-sharing database is notable for its breadth of contributors and content (abo… [read review or visit site]

Ron Wises World Paper Money

Ron Wises World Paper Money

With over 20,000 high-res scans of world banknotes (front and back views), Ron Wise's website is a mandatory stop f… [read review or visit site]

Two Cent Revenue Stamped Paper

Two Cent Revenue Stamped Paper

Everything you'd ever want to know about revenue stamped paper (first authorized in 1862). This site features infor… [read review or visit site]


Got a site to suggest? Let us know.




Clubs & Associations: US Paper Money


Other Great Reference Sites: US Paper Money

Are we missing one? Tell us.

Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly US Legal Tender Notes email

Sorted by        
Porscheahmet 1901 $10 Mega Bison Cga67 3 Day Auction Nr$8,999 Ends in 4 hours 25 bids 16 watchers
Porscheahmet 1882 $10 Grafton Nbn Cga65 3 Day Auction $2,475 Ends in 4 hours 9 bids 11 watchers
Porscheahmet 1869 $5 Rainbow Cga 66 Woodchopper Nr$1,390 Ends Monday 11 bids 12 watchers
1934 $500 Five Hundred Dollar Bill Yellow-green Seal$676.60 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 7 watchers
1963 $5.00 Dollar Red Seal Bill Note 100 Count $500 Lot$535.00 Ends in 2 hours 5 bids 10 watchers
Fr.1550 *--1966 $100 Red Seal ---star----note$315.56 Ends Tuesday 11 bids 7 watchers
144 Banknote 1953 Red Seal Unites States Note Lot$305.01 Ends in 2 hours 4 bids 4 watchers
1969-d (2) Notes Consecutive Inverted Must See!!!!!!$232.49 Ends in 31 mins 21 bids 2 watchers
105 United States Notes Red Seal $2 1928 A C D F G$212.50 Ends in 2 hours 2 bids 14 watchers
1966 $100 Star United States Note High Grade$211.50 Ends in 3 hours 8 bids 15 watchers
Hgr 1917 $1 ""red Seal"" Gem Uncirculated$207.83 Ends in 3 hours 9 bids 28 watchers
2- U.s. One Dollar Bills$202.51 Ends Wednesday 7 bids 11 watchers
100 Consecutive 1976 Bi-centennial $2 Bills With Stamps$202.50 Ends Wednesday 3 bids 4 watchers
$2 1963 Legal Tenders "6 Consecutive Stars" Pmg 66 Epq$183.50 Ends in 4 hours 13 bids 19 watchers
Beautiful Gem 1928 $1 Red Seal Crisp U.s. Note No Res$172.05 Ends Wednesday 10 bids 14 watchers
1966 United States One Hundred Dollar Note Red Seal $148.50 Ends in 3 hours 6 bids 12 watchers
Fr 1550 $100 1966 Legal Tender Cga Au 58$147.51 Ends Monday 7 bids 4 watchers
?? 1966 $100 Red Seal Legal Tender Ultra High Grade! ??$132.51 Ends Friday 8 bids 11 watchers
1907 $5 Woodchopper Gorgeous Pcgs Ef 40 Ppq No Reserve$129.16 Ends Thursday 4 bids 7 watchers
$100 One Hundred Dollar Us Note - Red Seal - 1966$127.51 Ends Wednesday 5 bids 5 watchers
Lot Of 25 $5 Silver Certificate Notes$125.58 Ends in 16 hours 2 bids 2 watchers
1966 Red Seal 100 Dollar Bill 4 Digit Serial$117.50 Ends in 3 hours 3 bids 11 watchers
?? Key 1966a $100 Red Seal Legal Tender High Grade! ??$115.05 Ends Friday 6 bids 6 watchers
$100.1966 Red Seal Legal Tender Vf$112.50 Ends Monday 3 bids 2 watchers
Fr 1550 $100 1966 Legal Tender Cga Au 58$108.50 Ends Thursday 3 bids 2 watchers
Hgr 1917 $1 ""red Seal"" Gem Uncirculated$107.50 Ends Friday 25 bids 7 watchers
1966 Series $100 Us Note Red Seal $105.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 2 watchers
Series 1966 Red Seal 100 Dollar Note$103.51 Ends Monday 5 bids 6 watchers
$5 1928c Red Seal Fa Block Cga Gem 67 #1 Of 9$103.50 Ends in 2 hours 12 bids 16 watchers
Lot Of 25 $2 1963-a Legal Tender Notes Gem$102.50 Ends in 4 hours 5 bids 7 watchers
Rare 1928 Red Seal $1 Us Note Birthday Serial 5/5/1949$102.50 Ends in 1 hour 12 bids 14 watchers
Fr 1550 $100 1966 Legal Tender Cga Vf 25$100.99 Ends Monday 10 bids 3 watchers
$2 1928g Legal Tender Pmg Superb Gem Unc 67$100.00 Ends in 4 hours 9 bids 30 watchers
10 $2.00 1928 Series Circ. Legal Tender Red Seals$91.00 Ends in 2 hours 10 bids 6 watchers
Porscheahmet 1929 $10 Nbn S/n 1 Dunkirk Oh Cga Cert$91.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids 7 watchers
Porscheahmet 1929 $5 Nbn S/n 1 Middletown Ct Cga Cert$78.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids 6 watchers
Gem 1928a $2 Red Seal Legal Tender,spectactular Note$77.33 Ends in 4 hours 3 bids 8 watchers
10 $2.00 1928 Series Circ. Legal Tender Red Seals$76.00 Ends in 4 hours 9 bids 10 watchers
*uc* 1928c $5 *star* Legaltender!pmg Choice Unc 64 Epq$76.00 Ends Thursday 3 bids 7 watchers
14 $5 Series 1928 Red Seal United States Notes$74.99 Ends in 5 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
$2 1963 Legal Tenders "4 Consecutive" Pmg Gem 66's$67.66 Ends in 4 hours 8 bids 13 watchers
1928 $1 Red Seal Funny Back, United States Note, Nr$65.00 Ends in 3 hours 6 bids 17 watchers
1917 $1 Large Red Seal Note Gem Crisp Uncirculated Us$64.78 Ends in 15 hours 5 bids 11 watchers
$2 1963 Star Legal Tender Notes Pmg 67 Superb Gem Epq$59.89 Ends in 3 hours 8 bids 12 watchers
$1 Red Seal United States Note 1928$56.66 Ends Wednesday 4 bids 8 watchers
Superb-gem 1928d $2 Red Seal Legal Tender,please Look$56.55 Ends in 3 hours 4 bids 4 watchers
Six Red Seal $5 United States Notes, Two $5 Silver Cert$56.05 Ends in 2 hours 2 bids 2 watchers
10 $2.00 1928 Series Circ. Legal Tender Red Seals$56.00 Ends in 4 hours 7 bids 6 watchers
Fr.1507 $2 1928-f Legal Tender Note Cga Gem 66$56.00 Ends Monday 6 bids 7 watchers
1966 $100 Red Seal - Legal Tender - Vf+$56.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids
Porscheahmet 1928 C $5 Usn Red Seal Cga Gem Unc 65 Nr$51.50 Ends in 5 hours 8 bids 6 watchers
Hgr 1928f $2 Red Seal ""u.s.note"" Gem Uncirculated$51.00 Ends Friday 5 bids 9 watchers
Lot 35 $5 Red (1-star & 3- Blue) Seal Notes (f/vf/xf) $51.00 Ends Tuesday 8 bids 7 watchers
Lot Of 25 $5 Red Seal Notes$51.00 Ends in 16 hours 3 bids 4 watchers
1963a $2.00 "star" Pcgs Gem 66ppq *00803054a / Fr-1514*$45.06 Ends in 3 hours 5 bids 6 watchers
1862 United States $5 Five Dollar Bill New York Rare$42.43 Ends Friday 6 bids 6 watchers
2 20-dollar Federal Reserve Notes 1934-a Unc. In Seq.$42.11 Ends in 2 hours 2 bids 3 watchers
Red Seal $2.00 Bill 1928 Red Star In Serial Number$41.77 Ends Monday 6 bids 12 watchers
Lot Of 25 (1953 1-1928) $2 U.s. Red Seal Notes F-vf$41.50 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 8 watchers

»» Get our weekly US Legal Tender Notes email
Right now on eBay