DALLAS, TX.- A trio of ultra-high-denomination banknotes will reach for a share of the spotlight when they cross the block in Heritage’s FUN U.S. Currency Signature® Auction Jan. 13-16.

“Notes with denominations like these always generate enormous interest, and these are magnificent examples,” says Dustin Johnston, Senior Vice President of Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. “Part of the attraction is simply the huge numbers on each note, but in the case of these three, it goes beyond that. They are very hard to find, and their condition is exceptional. Collectors who want the best of the best will find these difficult to resist.”

Among the exceptional high-denomination offerings is a beautiful Fr. 2231-A $10,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 that has been largely out of sight for the collecting community for decades. It is a new addition to the Track & Price Census, raising the known population to just 18 examples of one of the most well-known small size types, a prize that many collectors always have coveted. Because of the type’s large denomination, few examples were set aside as mementos and souvenirs. PMG has certified just two representatives of this number at this grade level, with only six higher. Out of the combined 115 Series 1934 $10,000 notes across all districts encapsulated by PMG, nearly one-third of the population hails from the New York district, due to their preservation as part of the Binion hoard, which contained an impressive number of the type.

Also in play is a stunning Fr. 2220-F $5,000 1928 Federal Reserve Note that is the finest-graded 1928 Atlanta $5,000. Series 1928 $5,000s and $10,000s are known in minute numbers compared to the Series 1934s. Track & Price indicates just eight known Atlanta $5,000s, but about two dozen $5,000 and $10,000 notes combined for the entire 1928 Series. The first appearance for this example was part of Heritage’s Taylor Family Collection auction in 2005, which was one of the most complete offerings of ultra-high denomination notes ever. It ranks as the finest example graded or offered at auction.

Not all of the monumental notes in the auction have high denominations. One example is a magnificent Pensacola, FL - $5 1875 Fr. 404 The First National Bank Ch. # 2490 PMG Choice Extremely Fine 45, a new discovery that is just the fourth First Charter note to be reported for the state of Florida — all four come from this Pensacola bank, which opened its doors in 1880 and issued only Series 1875 $5s for the First Charter Period. Just three examples had been reported previously, none of which has been publicly offered since 1976. That all changes with the surfacing of this attractive pen-signed example that has been considered something of a “holy grail” for decades for the many collectors of notes from the Sunshine State.

Also offered is an exceedingly rare Tallahassee, FL - $100 1882 Brown Back Fr. 524 The First National Bank Ch. # (S)4132 PMG Very Fine 25 that is being offered for the first time in nearly a half a century. It represents an excessively rare Florida type and denomination that has not made a public appearance since the inaugural Hickman-Oakes auction held in 1976. While seven banks in Florida issued some 6,400 $100 Brown Backs, just three are currently reported — each from this Tallahassee bank that issued only 967 during its brief existence from 1889 until its liquidation in 1916.

Another highlight in the auction is a Laramie City, Wyoming Territory - $5 1875 Fr. 402 The Wyoming National Bank Ch. # 2110 PCGS Choice New 63PPQ that once was part of an incredible uncut sheet that surfaced several decades ago. The sheet was cut in the 1970s and the note from the “D” plate position appeared in a 1978 Hickman-Oakes sale and sold for more than $10,000, a fantastic sum for a National in that era. This offering, which is the “C” position note from that sheet, made its lone public appearance in a 2007 auction and is the only example from that sheet to have crossed the auction block in the past 20 years. It has everything going for it that a collector could desire: incredible rarity and incredible condition for a note almost 150 years old, meaning it was created 15 years before Wyoming became the 44th state. It is one of only 16 Territorials known from all Wyoming banks and is the only one of that number to have been awarded a CU grade from either of the major services.

Westchester Collection

Included in the auction are selections from a number of exceptional collections, including the 141-lot Westchester Collection, perhaps the definitive collection of New York National banknotes. The materials from this trove are just the beginning for the Westchester Collection, which also will factor prominently in future auctions at Heritage.

Among the featured attractions in the collection is a unique Rochester, NY - $100 1875 Fr. 458 The Flour City National Bank Ch. # 1362 PCGS Banknote Very Fine 20 that is the only such piece reported from this Rochester bank. Original and Series 1875 $100s are very scarce as a type, with fewer than 100 recorded for the entire country, according to the National Currency Foundation census. Even states like New York, which boast the largest number of surviving examples, still report only around 20 known from both Series from all banks combined.

From the same collection comes a high-grade Ithaca, NY - $2 Original Fr. 387a The Merchants & Farmers National Bank Ch. # 729 PCGS Banknote About Unc 53 that carries the “Lazy Deuce” moniker because of the enormous number 2 that is aligned horizontally. It comes from a very rare Tompkins County bank that issued First Charters only before liquidating in 1873. By 1910, only $640 remained unredeemed on the books of the Comptroller of the Currency. This is the only Deuce known from that bank, and one of just three notes recorded from a short-lived bank that operated briefly in this community that is the home to Cornell University and Ithaca College. It is a pen-signed beauty which retains its full bottom selvage along with excellent color and dark pen signatures.

Charles River Collection

Also featured is this 110-lot collection, the definitive assemblage of Massachusetts obsolete banknotes. Like the Westchester Collection, the Charles River Collection also will be part of future auctions at Heritage.

Among the highlights is a Taunton, MA- Taunton Bank $500 18__ as G130a Proof PMG About Uncirculated 50 — a magnificent NBNCo note with the famed “Spread Eagle” vignette that also was used on the first $100 United States Legal Tender notes (Fr. 165-167b). All high-denomination color Proofs are both excessively rare and popular with collectors. This note’s provenance is exceptional, and includes a stint as part of The Eric P. Newman Collection.

From the same collection comes a Boston, MA- Hide & Leather Bank $1,000 Oct. 1, 1857 UNL Proof PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ that is a likely unique, $1,000 bi-color Proof with a storied provenance. Its origins are traced to the 1990 ABNCo. Sale, in which it appeared as part of an impressive $100-$100-$500-$1,000 uncut sheet. It was purchased by the Schingoethes for $4,400 and later resold in their second numbered sale, where it fetched $18,400.

Tim Messerley Collection

A very rare Serial Number 1 Luray, VA - $5 1902 Red Seal Fr. 587 The Page Valley National Bank Ch. # (S)6206 PMG Choice Very Fine 35 is among the top offerings in this extraordinary 53-lot collection of Virginia National banknotes. This great Virginia rarity is one of only six Serial Number 1 Red Seals reported from all banks in the state, according to the National Currency Foundation census. Crossing the auction block for the first time, this is the only Number 1 example known from this Page County bank.

Also from the Messerley Collection is a New Market, VA - $10 1902 Date Back Fr. 623 The First National Bank Ch. # (S)10568 PMG Very Fine 30 that is a new addition to the census of a very rare Virginia bank, and just the fourth example reported. The only issuer to operate in this Shenandoah County locale, the First National was in business for just four years before closing its doors in 1918 after issuing barely 1,000 sheets of $10 and $20 Blue Seals.