1953 $10 Silver Certificate

How the 1953 ten differs from the 1934

The quickest tell is on the left of the face. The 1934 ten has a large blue 10 there. On the 1953 the 10 is gray. Other layout changes echo the 1950 Federal Reserve notes, with a smaller seal and the series date and signatures rearranged. The seal and both serial numbers stay blue. The wording still says ten dollars in silver payable to the bearer on demand.

Hamilton remains on the face and the Treasury Building on the back. If your ten has a green seal, it is a Federal Reserve note; if it has a red seal, it is not a silver certificate either.

Series 1953 $10 silver certificates: signatures

Reading the series and signatures

SERIES 1953 appears on the face, followed by A or B if there is a letter. The Treasurer signs on the left, the Secretary of the Treasury on the right. Ivy Baker Priest signed both 1953 and 1953A, so check the right-hand signature: George M. Humphrey means 1953, Robert B. Anderson means 1953A. Elizabeth Rudel Smith with C. Douglas Dillon means 1953B.

These are the same three pairs that appear on the 1953 $5 silver certificate, which makes sorting a mixed group of blue seal fives and tens straightforward.

Why blue seal tens are harder to find than dollars

Silver certificates were mostly a dollar note by the 1950s. The $1 was printed by the billion, while the $10 was a much smaller part of the program. When the government began pulling silver certificates in the 1960s, the tens went back to the banks along with everything else.

The result is that a 1953 ten is less common than a 1957 dollar. It is a step up in the value bands even in circulated condition. It is still not a great rarity; plenty survive in collections.

Why the series ended at 1953B

By the early 1960s the Treasury no longer had silver to spare. A 1963 law repealed the Silver Purchase Act of 1934. Federal Reserve notes took over the denominations silver certificates had served. Printing of $10 silver certificates ended with the 1953B. The Treasury stopped giving silver dollars for certificates in March 1964 and stopped paying out silver granules on June 24, 1968. A 1953 ten can still be spent as ten dollars, but it can no longer be turned into silver.

What a 1953 $10 silver certificate is worth

Worn notes with several folds usually sit in the small premium band. Lightly handled notes do somewhat better. Crisp uncirculated examples, with no folds and bright paper, move into the collector premium band. Star notes, with the star printed before the serial number, are less common than regular notes and earn a premium of their own, highest in uncirculated condition.

As with any note, a fancy serial number, such as a very low number, a solid or a ladder, can lift it further. Real printing errors, such as a shifted overprint or a cutting error, are a separate category valued on how striking the error is.

Spotting problems before you sell

Look closely at the paper. Washed notes look unnaturally bright and limp. Pressed notes have folds you can still see at an angle but cannot feel. Trimmed notes have margins narrower than they should be, especially on one side. Pinholes and small tears near the edges are common on notes that were once clipped or stapled together. Each of these lowers the value. An honest description is always better than a surprise when a buyer examines the note.

What to do with yours

Sleeve it in an archival holder and keep it flat. Read the letter and signatures and check for a star. If it is worn and plain, it is a nice piece to keep or to sell to a dealer for a modest premium over face value. If it is crisp or a star note, ask a paper money dealer or a grading service for an opinion before deciding.

Frequently asked questions