Old U.S Paper Money Trivia Quiz

Answer: Purple

A red Treasury Seal can be found on the 1966 $100 United States notes. A yellow Treasury Seal can be found on the 1935A $1 Silver Certificate North Africa series note. A brown Treasury Seal can be found on the 1929 $5 Federal Reserve Bank note series.

Other colors that can be found include blue which is on a 1935 $1 Silver Certificate and orange which can be found on a 1928 $10 Gold Certificate.

Answer: They were not printed with a Treasury Seal.

Demand notes were actually the only United States notes other than fractional currency that were printed without U.S Treasury Seals. Demand notes helped coin the phrase greenbacks, being the first in a long history with the colored backs. Notes made prior to 1861 later became widely known as broken bank notes, because they became worthless should the bank that issued them go out of business. Notes issued before this period were known as Colonials because the union of states had not yet taken shape.

Answer: They had a brown Treasury Seal and serial numbers

These Hawaii overprint Federal Reserve district notes were to be used in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. The government wanted to make them easily identifiable, so along with the Hawaii overprint they also changed the color of the Treasury Seal and serial numbers from green to brown. All of this was done so that if Japan occupied Hawaii; the currency could not be used to fund their war effort.

Answer: Tombstone notes

The $10 silver certificates from 1886, 1891, and 1908 feature the portrait of Thomas A. Hendricks. Hendricks was Vice-President of the United States for the very short period of nine months. The portrait frame surrounding his likeness is in the shape of a tombstone and thus the name stuck once the currency was issued.

Answer: Only one Federal Reserve bank issued this denomination

When the 1918 $50 Federal Reserve Bank note was issued there was only one bank that made the $50 denomination. All of the notes from this issue were printed with St. Louis as the only Federal Reserve bank to appear on them.

Answer: History Instructing Youth

The original painting that hangs in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was painted by Will H. Low. Thomas F. Morris used the painting as a template for the creation of the 1896 $1 Silver Certificate in its present form. It was later engraved by Charles Schlecht based on the design changes that Morris had made to increase its overall appeal as a work of art.

Answer: It has a 1935 series date and is a silver certificate

At the time of printing Hawaii series notes, Federal Reserve notes did not exist for the $1 denomination. The federal government did not start printing $1 Federal Reserve notes until the 1963 series. This was due in large part because there was a glut of 1935 $1 silver certificates in circulation and there was really no need to produce more.

Therefore the logical conclusion was to use the 1935 series silver certificates to print the $1 Hawaii series notes.

Answer: a Jackass note

The United States legal tender $10 notes from 1875, 1878, and 1880 are commonly called Jackass notes. This name came about due to the picture of a small eagle located on the bottom center of the note. When the note is inverted this small eagle resembles the head of a jackass and thus the name was born.

Answer: Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton appears on the 1862 $2 United States note, the 1863 $5 United States notes, 1928 $10 Gold Certificate, 1929 $10 Federal Reserve Bank note, 1929 $10 National Currency note, 1934 $10 Silver Certificate, 1928 $10 Federal Reserve notes, 1880 $20 United States note, the 1863 $50 United States note, the 1882 $1,000 Gold Certificate, the 1918 $1,000 Federal Reserve note. For those of you scoring at home that is 6 different denominations and 6 different type notes.

Answer: 1914 $20 Federal Reserve note -- Alexander Hamilton

In this example the 1914 $20 Federal Reserve note does NOT have a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, but rather Grover Cleveland the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Other interesting examples are the 1886 $5 Silver Certificate featuring Ulysses S. Grant, and the 1880 $50 United States note featuring Benjamin Franklin.