The SilverTowne Vault Blog

100 Greatest American Currency Notes Series: Act of 1861 $50 Interest Bearing Note

Published 09/09/2026

An extremely rare issue is the subject of our blog series covering Whitman Publishing's 100 Greatest American Currency Notes this go around. This top 80 pick is part of a series that exists in several different design and signature combinations, but because it's the first, ended up being the rarest. Authors Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman explain it all as we follow along with their analysis of the notes.

#78 – Act of 1861 $50 Interest Bearing Note

Under the Act of March 2, 1861, through the act of March 2, 1865, several Interest Bearing $50 notes were issued. All are considered rare, but the very first issue of the series is what Bowers and Sundman refer to as "impossibly rare." Just two are known to exist, in addition to some proof impressions (test prints).

These bills were printed from two different plates. The first implemented that the "for the" was to...read more