***Auction Highlight*** 1891 $5 Large Size Treasury Note FR-362 General George Thomas Grades xf. Union Army ...

***Auction Highlight*** 1891 $5 Large Size Treasury Note FR-362 General George Thomas Grades xf. Union Army General George Thomas is the main focal point of this Coin Note. Thomas is considered by many students of the Civil War to be the most underrated of the Union generals. George Henry Thomas was a United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. The Treasury Note (also known as a Coin Note) was a type of representative money issued by the United States government from 1890 until 1893 under authority of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and $1000. It was issued in two series: an 1890 series with $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $100 and $1000 denominations, and an 1891 series that added the $50 denomination. A $500 note was designed but never issued.[3] A distinguishing feature of the Series 1890 notes (and one that greatly appeals to collectors) is the extremely ornate designs on the reverse side of the notes. The intent of this was to make counterfeiting much more difficult, but opponents of the design argued that the extensive detail would make it more difficult to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit notes. Consequently, the reverse designs were simplified on the Series 1891 Treasury Notes issued the following year.