Fr. 278. 1899 $5 Silver Certificate. PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ.

Fr. 278. 1899 $5 Silver Certificate. PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ.，This is a very beautiful Gem note in every respect, featuring bright white paper and deep blue overprints of the serial number, counter at left and the Treasury Seal at right. The centering is just slightly imperfect, but the margins are all comfortably broad. The edges and corners are sharp. Noted on the PMG holder as having Exceptional Paper Quality, though they seem to have overlooked the strong embossing visible not only at the serial numbers, but for all elements printed in blue. This sharp example of an ever-popular note came from our January 1989 Fixed Price List and has been off the market since. <p><p>The famous "Indian Chief" $5 has long been one of the most widely desired federal currency types, along with the 1901 $10 "Bison" note. In both cases, the central figures are likely thought by casual observers to simply be generic representations, but in fact they are both known entities. In the case of the bison, the animal was Black Diamond, who resided nearly all his life at the Central Park Zoological Garden in New York City, where he was born. In the case of the present note, the man depicted is Running Antelope, a chief of the Hunkpapa Sioux. Running Antelope died in 1896 and thus would not live to see his portrait on the circulating bank notes of the United States. However, perhaps it is just as well since artistic needs required that he be depicted wearing a Pawnee headdress rather than that of the Sioux.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from Stacks Fixed Price List, January 1989.，