Series 1953A $2 Legal Tender Note – Red Seal – Fr. 1509 – Priest / Anderson – Choice About Uncirculated Details (AU Details – Minor Margin Aging / Light Edge Foxing)

Technical Breakdown & Attribution

• Denomination: $2.00 / TWO DOLLARS

• Type: Small-Size United States Legal Tender Note (Red Treasury Seal & Red Serial Numbers)

• Series: Series 1953 A

• Friedberg Catalog #: Fr. 1509 (Standard Regular Issue)

• Serial Number: A 61240327 A

  • Inventory Tail (Last 4 Digits): 0327

• Signatures:

  • Ivy Baker Priest (Treasurer of the United States)

  • Robert B. Anderson (Secretary of the Treasury)

• Plate Positions:

  • Check Letter (Upper Left): C 14

  • Face Plate (Lower Right): C

  • Back Plate: 403 (Visible in the left lace vignette of the reverse)

• Obligation Clause: "THIS NOTE IS A LEGAL TENDER AT ITS FACE VALUE FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE"

• Payable Clause (Header): "WILL PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND TWO DOLLARS"

• Vignettes:

  • Obverse: Portrait of Thomas Jefferson in an oval frame.

  • Reverse: Thomas Jefferson's historic Virginia home, Monticello (the pre-1976 standard reverse before the Trumbull Declaration of Independence design).

Design & Historical Significance: The Pre-1976 Red Seal $2

1. The Eisenhower Administration Transition: Series 1953A was authorized during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration under the signature combination of Ivy Baker Priest and Robert B. Anderson.

2. Left-Side Red Seal Placement: Unlike modern Federal Reserve Notes (which place green seals on the right side), Series 1953 Legal Tender notes moved the red Treasury seal to the left side overprinted atop the gray numeral "TWO".

3. The Classic Monticello Vignette: Features the intricate intaglio engraving of Monticello on the back. This classic design was retired following Series 1963A and replaced by the Declaration of Independence signing scene when the $2 bill returned for the 1976 Bicentennial.

Condition & Visual Grade Assessment

• Assigned Technical Grade: Choice About Uncirculated Details (AU Details – Minor Margin Aging / Light Edge Foxing)

• Preservation Highlights & Attributes:

  • Paper Fabric & Body: Exceptionally firm, crisp original rag paper with excellent embossed body and untouched structural rigidity.

  • Surfaces: Completely free of heavy pocket folds, center creases, or corner turns.

  • Margins & Centering: Excellent margins on all four sides with sharp corner points.

  • Inks & Embossing: Deep, rich black intaglio relief on Jefferson's portrait and Monticello; brilliant carmine-red ink on the Treasury seal and serial numbers.

  • Flaw Note (Details Attribution): Displays localized light age-toning/foxing spots along the outer margin border (visible near the top margin on the obverse, corresponding to the upper-right reverse margin corner). The note has zero tears, pinholes, or teller marks.