One Dollar “North Africa”
$1.00 · Series 1935-A · Yellow Seal (“Yellow Seal”)
Historical Context: Emergency Currency for Operation Torch
On November 8, 1942, Allied forces under General Dwight D. Eisenhower landed in French North Africa —Morocco and Algeria— in the so-calledOperation Torch, the first major Anglo-American joint landing of World War II and the first time General George Patton commanded troops in combat.
Fearing that large sums of American cash would fall into Axis hands in the event of a military setback, the Treasury printed a special issue of $1, $5, and $10 silver certificates with a strikingyellow stampinstead of the usual blue of silver certificates —the only case in the history of this series—, to be able to identify them and declare them worthless immediately if they were captured.
This same issue of “yellow stamp” was used again the following year during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. As was the case with the “Hawaii” banknotes in the Pacific, many specimens were kept as souvenirs by soldiers instead of being exchanged for common currency, so they survive today in sufficient quantity for collecting, although they are still highly appreciated as a relic of the Second World War.
Color Scheme
Obverse:main impression in black ink on white paper, with the Treasury seal and serial numbers in yellow/gold ink —the exclusive distinguishing mark of this emergency issue among all silver certificates.
Reverse:Full print in classic green ink (greenback), identical to the standard design of the 1935 series.
Portrait and Obverse Images
- Center:oval portrait of George Washington, first president of the United States.
- Right:United States Treasury seal in striking yellow ink, replacing the standard blue seal of contemporary silver certificates.
- Top:clause “THIS CERTIFIES THAT THERE IS ON DEPOSIT IN THE TREASURY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ONE DOLLAR IN SILVER PAYABLE TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND”.
Reverse Images
Standard design of the 1935 series: the complete Great Seal of the United States, with the eye of providence above the unfinished pyramid on the left and the bald eagle holding the shield, arrows and olive branch on the right, framing the large word “ONE” in the center.
Signatures
- W. A. Julian— Treasurer of the United States (Treasurer of the United States), on the left.
- Henry Morgenthau, Jr.— Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary of the Treasury), on the right.
Legacy for Collectors
Along with the brown-sealed “Hawaii” banknotes issued for the Pacific, the North African “yellow-seal” certificates represent the other major chapter in American emergency currency of World War II: two distinct solutions —one for each theater of war— to the same problem of protecting American money from eventual enemy capture.
Of this issue Fr. 2306 were printed26.916.000regular banknotes and144.000with star —27.060.000in total.
Print Run — $1 North Africa (1935-A)
$1 Silver Certificate, Series 1935-A, yellow emergency hallmark (“North Africa”). The following figures are derived from the documented serial number ranges for yellow stamped runs.1
| Type | Printed banknotes |
|---|---|
| Regular yellow seal banknotes — Fr. 2306 | 26.916.000 |
| Star replacements — Fr. 2306★ | 144.000 |
| Total gross, including stars | 27.060.000 |
The documented production of regular banknotes consisted ofeight runsof yellow stamp spread onfive blocksserial number, with a total of26.916.000regular bills.
Breakdown of regular bills
| Serial block | Print runs | Printed banknotes |
|---|---|---|
| B–C | 3 | 3.000.000 |
| C–C | 2 | 3.904.000 |
| F–C | 1 | 12.000 |
| I–C | 1 | 10.000.000 |
| R–C | 1 | 10.000.000 |
| Total regular notes | 8 | 26.916.000 |
Breakdown of star banknotes
| Serial-number range | Printed banknotes |
|---|---|
| ★ 68364001 A–★ 68388000 A | 24.000 |
| ★ 70956001 A–★ 71004000 A | 48.000 |
| ★ 79560001 A–★ 79632000 A | 72.000 |
| Total stars | 144.000 |
The three documented ranges of stars add up144.000replacement tickets.
Total Print
- Regular tickets: 26,916,000
- Star replacements: 144,000
- Total banknotes printed:27.060.000
- Combined face value:$27.060.000
The stars were produced to replace imperfect sheets detected after numbering. For this reason, catalogs usually list26.916.000as a regular circulation Fr. 2306 and144.000separately under Fr. 2306★. The figure27.060.000It is the gross total when adding both productions.
Printing:were printed in total26.916.000Regular Yellow Hallmarked North Africa Series 1935-A $1 Silver Certificates, along with144.000star replacements, producing a combined gross print run of27.060.000banknotes.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing deliveries for this special $1 issue are recorded betweenon September 4, 1942 and April 24, 1944.2
Verification note:A 2019 summary from the Society of Paper Money Collectors cited a lower regular print run of 17,012,000. That figure, however, does not match the complete documented serial ranges, whose eight yellow-seal runs total 26,916,000. The serial-range figure is therefore the more reliable catalog number.
Sources
- 1. USPaperMoney.info — series ranges of the special issue $1 North Africa (yellow stamp) and total derivatives:uspapermoney.info (new window)(opens in a new tab); alsoSeries 1935–1935D $1 (new window)(opens in a new tab)
- 2. USPaperMoney.info — delivery dates BEP, $1 North Africa (Sep 4, 1942–Apr 24, 1944):uspapermoney.info (new window)(opens in a new tab)
- Friedberg, Arthur L. & Ira S.Paper Money of the United States(FR-2306 / FR-2306★).
- Society of Paper Money Collectors — comparison with the figure of 17,012,000 cited in a 2019 summary; documented serial ranges are given priority.
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing —bep.gov (new window)(opens in a new tab)
- Heritage Auctions —ha.com (new window)(opens in a new tab)
- Numista —numista.com (new window)(opens in a new tab)