1914 $50 Federal Reserve Grant Note VF

The First of the Federal Reserve Notes

In 1913, Congress enacted the Federal Reserve Act, creating the Federal Reserve System and allowing it to issue its own legal tender notes. This 1914 $50 note is the first of those to be issued for general circulation! It features a portrait of our 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, alongside an attractive blue seal. The vignette on the back features an allegorical figure of Panama between a merchant vessel and a battleship.

A Big Note for a Large Denomination

Among the nation’s last large-sized “horseblanket” notes, it measures a whopping 7.375" x 3.125" or about 33% larger than today’s notes that measure 6.14" x 2.61" — making this big note the ideal canvass for its fantastic battleship design! It was also a big note when it comes to commerce as $50 in is equivalent of more than $1,300 today! Most of these notes were used only in large transaction and few people ever saw these notes when they were first printed before the outbreak of World War I.

Tough to find in any condition, we’ve secured a scant 10 notes in Very Fine (VF) condition. Hurry and get yours while our limited supply remains!