"Educational Series" refers to a series of three

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

silver certificates produced by the

U.S. Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

in 1896, after its

Bureau of Engraving and Printing The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is a government agency within the United States Department of the Treasury that designs and produces a variety of security products for the Federal Government of the United States, United States governm ...

chief Claude M. Johnson ordered a new currency design. The notes depict various

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

motifs and are considered by some

numismatists A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coins (and poss ...

to be the most beautiful monetary designs ever produced by the United States.

Design

The term "Educational" is derived from the title of the vignette on the $1 note, '' History Instructing Youth.'' Each note includes an allegorical scene on the obverse and a pair of portraits on the reverse. Women appear on all three notes. Denominations of $1, $2, and $5 were produced. Denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 were also planned. The $10 and $50 designs were being prepared but were never completed or produced before the series was abandoned and replaced by the series of 1899.

Design and production credits

$1 '' History Instructing Youth''

The front was designed by Will Hicok Low and engraved by Charles Schlecht. The back was designed by Thomas F. Morris. The George Washington vignette was engraved by Alfred Sealey (1867) and the Martha Washington vignette was engraved by Charles Burt (1878).

$2 '' Science presenting steam and electricity to Commerce and Manufacture''

Four artists were commissioned by the BEP to produce key artwork: E. H. Blashfield, Will H. Low, C. S. Reinhart, and Walter Shirlaw. The central vignette was designed by E. H. Blashfield. The central frame and background were designed by Thomas F. Morris. The vignette was engraved by G.F.C. Smillie and the border was engraved by Charles Schlecht. The back was designed by Thomas F. Morris. The Robert Fulton and Samuel F. B. Morse vignettes were engraved by Lorenzo Hatch.

$5 '' Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World''

The central vignette was designed by Walter Shirlaw and engraved by G.F.C. Smillie. The border was designed and engraved by Thomas F. Morris. The back was designed by Lorenzo J. Hatch and Thomas F. Morris and engraved by G.F.C. Smillie. The Ulysses S. Grant and Phillip Sheridan vignettes were engraved by Lorenzo J. Hatch.

Controversy

The naked breasts of the female figures on the $5 silver certificate reportedly caused some minor controversy when several

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

society ladies took offense to the design. Some bankers reportedly refused to accept the notes in transactions, and the term "

banned in Boston "Banned in Boston" is a phrase that was employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, to describe a literary work, song, motion picture, or play which had been prohibited from distribution or exhibition in Boston, Massachuse ...

" allegedly originates from the $5 silver certificate.

Notes

References

External links

* ''A Guide Book Of United States Paper Money: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Prices'' by Arthur L. Friedberg (Compiler), Ira S. Friedberg (Compiler), and Q. David Bowers.
FRBSF currency exhibit
{{Portal bar, Money, Numismatics, United States Currencies introduced in 1896 1896 in the United States Paper money of the United States Silver