Gold Certificates

Gold Certificates are United States Currency authorized by the Currency Act of March 3, 1863 and issued through 1934. Series 1934 was printed but never released to the public. They were released solely to banks. Only a few museum specimens of the 1934 series still exist. Gold Certificates were issued as small size bills starting with the series of 1928 and have distinguishing gold seals. They could be exchanged for gold coins but this changed on Dec. 28, 1933 when President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102  forbidding the holding of Gold Certificates (and gold coins) and in turn, ordered the banks to turn in all stocks of Gold Certificates. On April 24, 1964, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillion removed the restrictions on acquiring or holding Gold Certificates. Gold Certificates have been issued in $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 denominations. There was also a $100,000 Gold Certificate printed for the series of 1934 featuring a portrait of Woodrow Wilson.

Small size Gold Certificates were printed and issued to the public only for the series of 1928. Series 1928 issued $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 denominations. There was a series 1928A $100 Gold Certificate printed but was later scheduled for destruction and never released to the public. There are, however, many series 1928A bills known to exist today. Series 1934 was printed but never released to the public. The 1934 denominations printed were the $100, $1,000, $10,000, and $100,000 bills.