American ten dollar bill - Definition and Overview

The old and new ten dollar bill

The U.S. ten dollar bill ($10) is a denomination of United States currency. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton is currently featured on the front side of the bill, while the U.S. Treasury is featured on the reverse side.

Ten dollar bills are delivered by Federal Reserve Banks in yellow straps.

Pre-Federal Reserve History

• 1862: The first United States $10 note is printed with a portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the left of the face.
• 1869: A new $10 note is printed with a portrait of Daniel Webster on the left of the face.
• 1878: A silver certificate $10 note with a portrait of Robert Morris on the left of the face.
• 1886: A new silver certificate $10 note with a portrait of Thomas A. Hendricks on the face
• 1901: A new $10 note is printed with 2 portraits; Meriwether Lewis on the left and William Clark on the right of the face. In the middle is Black Diamond, an American Bison, or buffalo.
• 1907: A gold certificate $10 note with a portrait of Michael Hillegas on the face.

Federal Reserve history

• 1914: Began as a large-sized note with a portrait of Andrew Jackson on the face
• 1928: Switched to a small-sized note with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the face
• May 24 2000: Design was changed to stop it from being counterfeited
• 2001-2004: Various members of the United States Congress either float ideas about or introduce bills that would have replaced the portrait of Hamilton with a portrait of Ronald Reagan. None of the bills are enacted.

The design on the back is the Treasury building. The 1928 edition featured a car parked outside of the Treasury Department building. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a Model-T Ford, rather it is a composite of multiple cars of that era.

The $10 bill is sometimes nicknamed a "sawbuck," although this usage is far less common today than it was in the early 20th century.

External link

• http://www.currencygallery.org/denoms/10dollar.htm