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100 Greatest American Currency Notes Series: Acts of 1862 and 1863 $50 Legal Tender Note

Published 06/19/2025

Several notes ranked in Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest American Currency Notes Series feature a Founding Father whose reputation endured long after he was gone. Authors Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman help us break down one of those notes while giving us some insight on the man at the center of them all.

#97 – Acts of 1862 and 1863 $50 Legal Tender Note

The $50 Legal Tender Notes of 1862 and 1863 feature none other than Alexander Hamilton who has been on the face of several 100 Greatest ranked entries, including 32, 38, 74, 75, 80, 82, and 88. These $50 notes have the greenback style filled with engravings and were made in First Obligation and Second Obligation styles, referring to the intaglio print. Less than 50 examples are known to exist today.

Hamilton was born on the Caribbean Island of Nevis in 1755. He became a distinguished figure...read more