Recently, a reader shared with me about $100,000 1934 Gold Certificate Specimen which was auctioned by Heritage Auction on 18 February 2005. The largest denomination of U.S. paper money ever produced is part of The Taylor Family Collection, Heritage Signature Auction, conducted on February 18-19, 2005 in Dallas, Texas.
In my opinion, this auction is one of the largest groups of Federal Reserve notes ever offered at one time. Total price realized for The Taylor Family Collection auction is $11,970,714.
Prices Realized for the $100,000 1934 Gold Certificate Specimen is $74,750.00.
Heritage Auction Description:
"$100,000 1934 Gold Certificate Specimen. Choice New. But for moderate aging of the paper, this is a perfect example of this ultra-high denomination note. No actual $100,000 bills remain outstanding and these specimen notes are the only form of this denomination available to collectors. This is one of only three examples that we know of. The printing is perfect, the margins are the size of a generously margined, perfectly centered regular issue note. The blank back is printed with the silver "SPECIMEN NOT NEGOTIABLE" printing seen on many of these. It's by far the rarest and most valuable specimen note in the Taylor Family holdings."
For your information, 1934 $100,000 Gold Certificates were issued only to banks and were not available to the public. The Series 1934 Gold Certificates are also distinguished from the previous Gold Certificates in their gold clause, which adds the phrase "as authorized by law" to denote that these notes cannot be legally held by private individuals.
Federal Reserve of New York statement:
"It should also be noted that the largest denomination of currency ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was the $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate featuring the portrait of President Wilson. These notes were printed from December 18, 1934, through January 9, 1935, and were issued by the Treasurer of the United States to Federal Reserve Banks only against an equal amount of gold bullion held by the Treasury Department. The notes were used only for official transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and were not circulated among the general public".
I am sharing the story about this gold certificate in my blog because they're some Malaysian who don't know nothing about 1934 $100,000 Dollars scam. People sell them cheap and low quality fake 100,000 dollars 1934 and told the buyer that they can claim it from US Federal Reserve Bank. Some even told that they found the notes and some US bond in an old warship etc. Some even claim, some of their friends already received payment from Federal Reserve. Yeah.., right! Why do you need to ask me in the first place if one of your friend already claim the money from Federal Reserve or US Treasury?
Anyway, this is only a specimen gold certificate, for the real pictures of the rare banknote you can read my blog post Ori & Fake US 100,000 dollars bill or you can visit Smithsonian Press, one of the Smithsonian Institution Press Publication online: $100,000 gold certificate, 1934.
