Note lurked in someone's collection for years

By Peter Huntoon

This $20 Series of 1934C has a back printed from late-finished macro plate 204. It is the first reported 1934C with such a back and went by unsold in a Heritage Auction last year.

Plate 204 has been reported on the $20s from several districts in the 1934, 1934A and 1934B as well as the 1934 and 1934A San Francisco Hawaii series. However, it was unexpected on the 1934C series by those of us who have studied the late-finished plates because back plate 204 was on-press inclusive of April 4, 1944 and Oct. 2, 1946, well before any $20 1934C face plates went to press.

The first 1934C Chicago $20 bore serial G15036001B and was printed in 1947. The first Chicago $20 printed in 1948 was G17732001B, so this note with serial G16440160B was numbered sometime in the early part of 1947. The face and serial numbers on the note obviously were printed on a sheet from a stockpile of preprinted $20 backs that had been held over from 1946.

This note has been lurking in someone’s collection for years, and it already had been reported but was misattributed. If you go to the Schwartz-Lindquist 10th edition of The Standard Guide to Small-Size U. S. Paper Money, you will find it listed as the high reported serial number for the 1934B Chicago $20s on page 222.