Ultra-Rare $5,000s Emerge in Heritage's GACC U.S. Currency Auction Oct. 7-10

Buckley and Messerley collections, and notes from 'National Bank Fruitcake Find' also among event highlights DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (Sept. 19, 2025) — Opportunities to acquire a $5,000 note are, in and of themselves, exceedingly rare. But to find one in Uncirculated condition is almost unheard of, and represents an absolute treasure hunt for the most serious of collectors. One such opportunity will be in Heritage's GACC U.S. Currency Signature® Auction Oct. 7-10, which will be held in conjunction with the Great American Coin and Collectibles Show that will be held Sept. 23-27 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, outside of Chicago. The auction will include a selection of four such notes, including a magnificent Fr. 2220-G $5,000 1928 Federal Reserve Note. PCGS Banknote Choice Unc 64 PPQ from The Charlton Buckley Collection that is a new addition to the Track & Price Census, which previously contained just three examples for the Friedberg number, and has the highest serial number among the four known representatives. This remarkable note stands out even further, as this Choice Uncirculated 64 PPQ example is the sole highest-graded Fr. 2220-G across all grading services. The PCGS Banknote Population Report affirms that this example is the sole representative of the number the company has certified. The lot is one of four exceptional $5,000 notes in the auction; other impressive ultra-high denomination notes include a Fr. 2221-E $5,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PCGS Banknote Choice Unc 64 PPQ, a Fr. 2221-B $5,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 and a Fr. 2221-K $5,000 1934 Federal Reserve Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ from Dallas. "Heritage has had the privilege of offering part of the Buckley collection before, and the high-powered notes that we are offering in our first GACC auction represent another exceptional opportunity for collectors," says Dustin Johnston, Senior Vice President of Numismatics at Heritage. "This is the final installment of lots from a collection that performed exceptionally well in Heritage's CSNS US Currency Signature® Auction, and we anticipate aggressive competition among eager collectors this time around, too." The $5,000s are just three of the treasures from the 270-lot collection of Charlton Buckley, the former San Francisco-area businessman who turned an early interest in numismatic collecting into a lifetime spent pursuing National Bank notes, large and small, as well as large and small size U.S. type notes. His passion led to a journey that resulted in a trove of California Nationals and notes, including California Gold Bank Notes as well as Federal Reserve Notes. Also from the Buckley collection comes a Petaluma, CA - $100 1874 Fr. 1165 The First National Gold Bank Ch. # 2193 PMG Very Good 10, a classic numismatic rarity that is one of just two known $100 examples from the First National Gold Bank of Petaluma and one of just nine $100 National Gold Bank Notes known from all banks combined, many of which are institutionally held or have not been seen for decades. This piece is also the only one of the known pair from this Petaluma bank to have made a public appearance in the past five decades. Three of the known $100 Gold Bank Notes have crossed the auction block since 2007, each bringing more than $200,000.Collectors of Serial Number 1 notes will be enchanted by the Buckley Collection, which offers 1914 San Francisco Red Seals for each denomination from $5-100. A Serial Number 1 Fr. 843a $5 1914 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ that would be an extraordinary note even if not adorned with the covered serial number, thanks to the fact that it has earned the highest grade for Fr. 843a at both PMG and Track & Price A Serial Number 1 Fr. 903a $10 1914 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ that is the finest Fr. 903a in Track & Price and the highest-graded by PMG One of just three extant examples of a Serial Number 1 Fr. 963a $20 1914 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note PMG Gem Uncirculated 65 EPQ A Serial Number 1 Fr. 1023a $50 1914 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note PMG Choice Uncirculated 63 EPQ — one of just three Serial Number 1 $50 Red Seals known to exist A Serial Number 1 Fr. 1083a $100 1914 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ — one of just five known Serial Number 1 Red Seal $100s reported, two of which are held by the ANA Museum and the collection of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank Also in play in the auction is a magnificent 75-lot group of Virginia National Bank Notes from the Tim Messerley Collection (Part II of the collection will be part of Heritage's FUN U.S. Currency auction in January).Among the top selections from the collection is a Serial Number 1 Esmont, VA - $5 1902 Red Seal Fr. 588 The Esmont National Bank Ch. # (S)8003 PMG Choice Uncirculated 63. Heritage offered a Serial Number 1 Red Seal from this rare Albemarle County bank earlier this year that, at that time, became only the fifth Number 1 Red Seal reported from any Virginia bank. Offered in this auction is the "C" position note from the first sheet of $5s issued by the bank, as opposed to the "A" position $5 that Heritage auctioned in January. However, the pen-signed "C" is much higher in grade. Also from the Messerley Collection is a dramatic Third Print Doubled With Mismatched Serial Number Errors Fr. 1935-D $2 1976 Federal Reserve Note. PMG Choice Uncirculated 64 EPQ with mismatched serial number pairs on this Cleveland deuce, which more than meets the criteria of error collectors. All of the examples known show two different serial numbers which are separated by either three or four digits. Other highlights from the collection include:   • A New Market, VA - $20 1902 Plain Back Fr. 657 The First National Bank Ch. # 10568 PMG Very Fine 30 EPQ   • A Washington, VA - $10 1902 Plain Back Fr. 624 The Rappahannock National Bank Ch. # 6443 PMG Very Fine 20   • A Staunton, VA - $100 1902 Date Back Fr. 697 The Augusta National Bank Ch. # (S)2269 PMG Very Fine 30 A Tucson, AZ - $5 1875 Fr. 405 The First National Bank Ch. # 2639 PMG About Uncirculated 55 EPQ is the finest graded Arizona territorial, and one of just four First Charter Notes from the territory. The First National Bank of Tucson was the only bank in Arizona that was assigned First Charter notes, and only the $5 denomination. The First National Bank of Phoenix was chartered just a year later, and was part of the Second Charter design issuance, and issued $5 Brown Backs only, leaving Tucson with the entire issuance of First Charter Notes for the Territory of Arizona. Just 8,500 were issued over two years, of which only four are known to remain.Also in play is a Houston, TX - $2 1875 Fr. 390 The National Exchange Bank Ch. # 2092 PMG Very Good 8 that is the only Texas National Bank Note Deuce survivor. Celebrated collector William Philpott spent four decades in a futile effort to locate one, leading to speculation that Lone Star deuces simply did not exist, making the Texas Lazy Deuce something of a holy grail among those trying to add them to collections. But its existence was verified about a quarter century ago when a leading Texas newspaper published a photograph that included the serial number 97-A note that is up for grabs in this auction. The auction even includes a lots from a collection referred to as "The National Bank Fruitcake Find." The Fifth Issue Fractional notes in this consignment were shipped to the National Bank of Athens, Georgia, charter number 1639 in the mid-1870s, and then resided in four different bank vaults for almost 150 years as the National Bank of Athens moved from its original location to a second building, until they were moved in the 1970s into a fruitcake box — hence the moniker that adorns the collection. Key offerings from the Fruitcake Find include:   • A Fr. 1381 50¢ Fifth Issue Original Bundle of 200 - 10 Full Packs Choice About New — a massive bundle of 10 full packs of 20 50¢ notes, each with each having a thin "Ten Dollar" band   • A Fr. 1381 50¢ Fifth Issue Original Bundle of 200 - 10 Full Packs Choice About New — a strictly original bundle of tightly bound Crawford notes   • An original bundle of Fr. 1309 25¢ Fifth Issue Original Bundle of 200 Choice About New notes   • A Fr. 1266 10¢ Fifth Issue Original Pack of 100 - Full Pack PCGS Banknote Choice Unc 64 PPQ of notes featuring William Meredity, who served as the 100th United States Secretary of the Treasury Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/3599. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 2 million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 7,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1699 or SteveL@HA.com