1934 $10 Silver Certificate

How to recognize it

Hamilton is on the face and the Treasury Building is on the back, as on other small-size tens. The blue seal and blue serial numbers mark it as a silver certificate. On this design a large blue 10 sits on the left side of the face and the seal is printed over a gray TEN on the right. The wording says ten dollars in silver is payable to the bearer on demand.

That wording was new in 1934. The short-lived 1933 $10 promised payment in silver coin; the 1934 dropped the word coin after the Silver Purchase Act of 1934 so the Treasury could redeem notes with bullion. If your note says silver coin, read the 1933 page right away.

Series 1934 $10 silver certificates: signatures and notes

Reading the series letter and signatures

The series date is on the face with any letter right after it. The Treasurer signs on the left and the Secretary of the Treasury on the right. Julian and Morgenthau signed both 1934 and 1934A, so for those two the letter itself is what you go by. Fred M. Vinson on the right means 1934B. John W. Snyder means 1934C, unless the Treasurer is Georgia Neese Clark, which makes it 1934D.

Vinson was Secretary of the Treasury only from 1945 to 1946. That brief term is reflected in how few 1934B tens were made.

Why the 1934B stands out

PMG reports that 337,740 Series 1934B $10 silver certificates were released, a tiny number by the standards of US currency. It is the key letter among the regular blue seal 1934 tens. A worn 1934B sits in the collector premium band. Uncirculated examples are genuinely hard to find and sit higher still.

Because Julian and Vinson are on the note, the signature check is quick. If your ten has Vinson on the right, set it aside.

The yellow seal tens

Tens with a bright yellow seal and blue serial numbers were printed for American troops in the North Africa campaign that began in November 1942 and were used again in Sicily. Most are Series 1934A. A smaller group carries Series 1934 and is a mule, combining plate styles; one estimate puts that printing at roughly 45,000 to 51,000 notes, making it much scarcer than the 1934A. Both carry a collector premium. The North Africa page explains how to check them.

What a 1934 $10 silver certificate is worth

Here is how the letters and features sort into value bands, assuming an honest circulated note:

• Small premium: circulated 1934, 1934A, 1934C and 1934D blue seal notes.
• Collector premium: the 1934B in any grade, uncirculated notes of the other letters, most star notes and yellow seal 1934A notes.
• Higher: the yellow seal Series 1934 mule, uncirculated 1934B notes and star notes from the scarcer letters.
• Any letter can rise with a very low, solid, ladder or repeater serial number.

Condition and star notes

Condition separates a small premium note from a collector premium one. Look at the corners, the folds and the paper. Heavy folds, soft paper, stains and pinholes all pull a note down. A star in front of the serial number marks a replacement note. Stars are scarcer than regular notes in every 1934 letter.

Do not try to improve a note. Pressing out folds, cleaning dirt or trimming edges leaves traces that graders catch. An altered note sells for less than an honest worn one.

What to do with yours

Check the seal color and the signatures first, then the star and serial. Sleeve the note and keep it flat. A worn 1934 or 1934A blue seal ten is a fine keepsake; a dealer will usually pay a little over face value if you want to sell. A 1934B, any yellow seal note, any star or any crisp example deserves a dealer's opinion or a grading service before you decide.

Frequently asked questions