Federal Reserve System
Paper money issued by the twelve Federal Reserve Banks of the United States, including the emergency issues produced during World War II.
Federal Reserve Bank Note, Minneapolis (1929)
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis · brown-seal note, series of 1929, a direct obligation of the issuing regional bank.
Federal Reserve Note, Cleveland (1990)
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, District D · series of 1990 · the first U.S. banknote with a security thread and microprinting.
Ten Dollars, Series of 1934 — Four Districts
Cleveland, Richmond, Chicago, and San Francisco · the same standard note, four issuing Federal Reserve Banks.
The “Hawaii” Notes: World War II Emergency Currency
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, U.S. military command contemplated the possibility of a Japanese invasion of the Hawaiian Islands, in which case the enemy would have access to an enormous volume of ordinary dollars with which to finance its occupation. On 10 January 1942, the territory’s military governor, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, ordered surplus cash withdrawn from circulation, and from 25 June of that year special notes of $1, $5, $10, and $20 were issued, with the word “HAWAII” overprinted and seals in brown ink: in the event of invasion, the government could immediately declare worthless any note identified in this way.
The issue continued until October 1944 and its formal withdrawal began in 1946, although numerous specimens survived as war souvenirs. Today they constitute one of the most distinctive —and collectible— episodes in the history of twentieth-century U.S. paper money.
“Hawaii” Emergency Issue (1934–1935)
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco · notes with a “HAWAII” overprint and brown seal, World War II contingency currency.
