Act of March 3, 1863, $20 Gold Certificate to Highlight the Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction

This August, bidders will have the chance to vie for one of the rarest pieces of paper money ever issued by the United States, a note authorized and issued under the provisions of the Act of March 3, 1863, Dating to the late 1860s (per the date seen above the Assistant Treasurer’s engraved countersignature), notes like this one were a convenient means to pay customs taxes, among the primary sources of gold for the Treasury Department.

As a type, all surviving Gold Certificates authorized under the 1863 legislation are extremely rare, with most held by various institutional collections. Only five are available for collectors to consider and they are seldom traded. Twenty-dollar notes account for four, with the fifth being a solitary $100 that sold in 2013 for $2,115,000. The four $20s most likely survived due to the relative unimportance of the $20 denomination; they probably functioned as a rounding mechanism (like the cent before it was discontinued in 2025) as more $5,000s were issued overall.

Among the surviving $20s are two each of two distinct varieties – featuring either a penned or engraved countersignature of Assistant Treasurer H.H. Van Dyck. The penned countersignature was dropped from the $20s (and $100s as well), replaced by an engraved countersignature presumably to streamline the issuing process. One example of Van Dyck’s penned countersignature sold in our August 2025 presentation of Part II of the Shores Collection (lot 23144)for $516,000.

The note features what is arguably one of the most attractive designs of the period, while the back design evokes visual comparisons to a “Persian Rug” and firmly distinguishes it from later Gold Certificates starting with the Series of 1882. The note in our Summer 2026 Showcase has seen even circulation compared to the lightly circulated example sold last summer. It is important to state that these notes are only offered when exceptional collections are consigned, making this a truly important opportunity unlikely to be repeated in the near future.

 For more information about our auctions or to consign your numismatic items, please call 800-458-4646 or email [email protected].