Educational Series


"Educational Series" refers to a series of three United States silver certificates produced in 1896 by the U.S. Treasury after its Bureau of Engraving and Printing chief Claude M. Johnson ordered a new currency design. The notes depict various allegorical motifs and are considered by many numismatists to be the most beautiful monetary designs ever produced by the United States.

Design

The term "Educational" is derived from the title of the vignette on the $1 note, History Instructing Youth. Each note includes an allegorical scene on the obverse and a pair of portraits on the reverse. Women appear on all three notes.
Denominations of $1, $2, and $5 were produced. Denominations of $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 were also planned. The $10 and $50 designs were being prepared but were never completed or produced before the series was abandoned and replaced by the series of 1899.

Design and production credits

$1 ''[History Instructing Youth]''

The front was designed by Will Hicok Low and engraved by
Charles Schlecht. The back was designed by Thomas F. Morris. The
George Washington vignette was engraved by Alfred Sealey and the
Martha Washington vignette was engraved by Charles Burt.

$2 ''[Science presenting steam and electricity to Commerce and Manufacture]''

Four artists were commissioned by the BEP to produce key artwork: E. H. Blashfield, Will H. Low, C. S. Reinhart, and Walter Shirlaw. The central vignette was designed by E. H. Blashfield.
The central frame and background were designed by Thomas F. Morris.
The vignette was engraved by G.F.C. Smillie and the border was engraved by Charles Schlecht. The back was designed by Thomas F. Morris. The Robert Fulton and Samuel F. B. Morse vignettes were engraved by Lorenzo Hatch.

$5 ''[Electricity as the Dominant Force in the World]''

The central vignette was designed by Walter Shirlaw and engraved by G.F.C. Smillie.
The border was designed and engraved by Thomas F. Morris. The back was designed by Lorenzo J. Hatch and Thomas F. Morris
and engraved by G.F.C. Smillie. The Ulysses S. Grant and Phillip Sheridan vignettes were engraved by Lorenzo J. Hatch.

Controversy

The naked breasts of the female figures on the $5 silver certificate reportedly caused some minor controversy when several Boston society ladies took offense to the design. Some bankers reportedly refused to accept the notes in transactions, and the term "banned in Boston" allegedly originates from the $5 silver certificate.