Fr. 308 (W-2160). 1880 $20 Silver Certificate of Deposit. PCGS Very Fine 35.

Fr. 308 (W-2160). 1880 $20 Silver Certificate of Deposit. PCGS Very Fine 35.，Replacing the Large Red Treasury Seal and "Twenty" of the 1878 series is this 1880 $20 Silver Certificate of Deposit that features the countersignature of T. Hillhouse and a Large Brown Seal with "XX" below it. Just 200,000 notes were printed and today only 11 examples of this "Triple Signature" type are known to survive. This is the single finest graded example for the catalog number by either PCGS or PMG. Ample margins and bright paper are enhanced by boldly engraved inks and overprints. Just a moderate level of circulation is exhibited. This note last traded publicly in 2005 when it realized $46,000.<p><p><em></em><p><strong>$20 Silver Certificates of Deposit, Series of 1880, Countersigned</strong><p>$20 Silver Certificates <em>of Deposit, </em>per their official name, were antecedents to Silver Certificates These did not circulate widely, but seem to have been mostly held by banks and agencies.<p>As noted above, the basic motifs of the preceding type of 1878 are continued, but now with changes in the color print. On the face the word "TWENTY" has been replaced with "XX," among other modifications. The back is the same. <p>These depict Commander Stephen Decatur on the face. These are specifically designated "CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT" on the face, "SILVER CERTIFICATE" on the back. On the face the inscription "SILVER DOLLARS" is done in a series of vignettes, one for each letter, connected together in a straight row. This is the "shingle" style. Engraved and printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Notes of this type were payable in cities including New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.<p>On the back the word "SILVER" is very prominent, with shingle-style connected letters, but is much smaller than the same word on the back of the related $10.<p>Notes from the Series of 1878 and some from the Series of 1880, as here, bear two printed Treasury signatures plus the hand-signed countersignature of another Treasury official. This extra signature proved to be a cumbersome idea, and at least that of A.U. Wyman (on a variety different from that offered here) was augmented by signatures printed in the plate. There is no specific record of countersignatures, and there is always the possibility for new discoveries. Part way through the Series of 1880 the idea was dropped entirely. All have a large red Treasury Seal at top center. On this seal, for this denomination and other countersigned notes in this series, the <em>key faces to the right (with the handle at the left).</em> <p>F-308 (W-2160) notes are payable in New York and are countersigned by Thomas Hillhouse. We estimate the printing quantity as 200,000 and the number of reported survivors is 11, as noted above.，From the Joel R. Anderson Collection of United States Paper Money, Part I. Earlier from Currency Auctions of Americas sale of January 1998, lot 1603; Lyn Knights sale of August 2003, lot 1974; Heritage Auctions sale of May 2005, lot 16715.，