1882 $20 Gold Certificate

About This Note

The note you see here is the exact note you will receive.

The 1882 $20 Gold Certificate is one of the most visually striking pieces of American paper money ever issued. The obverse features a bold "GOLD COIN" legend in ornate lettering across the center, a portrait of President James Garfield at right, and the distinctive orange-gold coloring that gives Gold Certificates their unmistakable character. The reverse is printed entirely in a rich orange-red ink and features a magnificent spread-eagle vignette with the bold "GOLD" overprint: a design that collectors have admired for over a century.

Fr #1178 identifies this as the Lyons-Roberts signature combination with Small Red Seal: one of the more available varieties of this type, though all 1882 $20 Gold Certificates are genuinely scarce in any grade. An About Uncirculated 55 example like this retains much of its original crispness and color while showing only the lightest evidence of handling.

Gold Certificates were redeemable in gold coin at the Treasury and circulated primarily among banks and businesses. They were called in during the 1933 gold recall, making survivors in any condition desirable to collectors of large-size currency.