1933 $10 Silver Certificate: How to Tell if Yours Is Real

Why the 1933 $10 is so rare

The 1933 $10 was the first small-size $10 silver certificate. It had a very short life. Its official print run was 216,000 notes. Government records show about 60,000 were destroyed, so roughly 156,000 were issued. Then policy changed. William Woodin left the Treasury at the end of 1933, the Silver Purchase Act of 1934 changed how silver certificates were backed and a redesigned 1934 $10 took over. A 1933A printing with the next signatures was made but, according to the records, all of it was destroyed.

Notes that did circulate were spent like any other ten. Few people saved them. Researchers estimate only roughly 50 to 100 survive in all grades, which gives it one of the lowest survival rates of any small-size US note. Collectors call it the king of small-size silver certificates.

Telling a 1933 $10 from the 1934 $10 that replaced it

What the wording on a 1933 says

The redemption clause is unique. Most small-size silver certificates say the amount is payable in silver to the bearer on demand. The 1933 $10 says ten dollars is payable in silver coin. That phrase tied the note to coined silver, the same idea behind the 1928 $1 promise of one silver dollar. It was dropped for the 1934 series so the Treasury could pay in bullion.

The layout follows the style of the 1928 $1 silver certificate, with the blue seal to the left and Hamilton in the center. The 1934 $10 rearranged the face with a blue 10 on the left and the seal on the right over a gray TEN.

Signs your note is not a 1933

Most people who search for this note are holding a 1934 or 1953 $10, which is far more common. Run through these checks:

• The series must read 1933 with no letter. A letter after the date, or 1934 or 1953, means a different note.
• The Secretary of the Treasury signature must be William H. Woodin. Morgenthau, Vinson, Snyder, Humphrey, Anderson or Dillon mean a later series.
• The promise must mention silver coin. If it says ten dollars in silver without the word coin, it is not a 1933.
• The seal and serial numbers must be blue. A green seal 1934 $10 is a Federal Reserve note.
• Be wary of a date that looks altered, a series letter that seems scraped away or a note with unusually smooth or thin paper. Changing a common note to imitate a rare one is a known trick across paper money collecting.

Star notes and serial numbers

A star 1933 $10 is so rare that it is essentially unknown in collections; PMG cites a single example offered at auction in 1993. If you think you have one, treat it as a research question for a specialist, not a quick sale.

Surviving uncirculated examples tend to cluster in a few low serial ranges, a sign that some notes were saved from the start of the printing. Low serial and presentation examples get particular attention from collectors.

What a 1933 $10 is worth

Every genuine 1933 $10 belongs in the significant rarity band, even a worn, folded example. Condition still matters a great deal. A note with tears, stains or missing pieces is worth much less than a clean one. Crisp uncirculated survivors are the top of the market for small-size silver certificates. Because the gap between a genuine note and a mistaken or altered one is so large, value only means something after authentication.

What to do if you think you have one

Stop handling it. Put it in an archival sleeve without PVC and keep it flat in a dry place. Do not clean, press, tape or flatten it. Photograph both sides in good light.

Then get it authenticated. A third-party paper money grading service can confirm it is genuine and assign a grade. A major auction house with a currency department or a long established paper money dealer can also advise. With a note at this level, independent authentication protects you whether you plan to keep it or sell it.

Frequently asked questions