Talk:List of people on United States banknotes

Some comments
Okay, with WP:FLC in mind and a quick look over this list with regard to WP:WIAFL : Just a few comments to be getting on with, hope that helps. The Rambling Man (talk) 09:29, 14 January 2013 (UTC)
 * Be consistent with capitalisation and spacing, e.g. you have "banknote" in the title and "Bank Note" in the lead.
 * Don't use bold (see WP:BADEMPHASIS) to emphasise something, this may be difficult for people with WP:ACCESS issues to distinguish.
 * "6-1/8 x 2-5/8 inches" this is oddly formatted.
 * Avoid overcapitalising things, e.g. table headers such as Note Type -> Note type.
 * Check for dablinks, my tool is showing nine of them.
 * Year date ranges should use an en-dash per WP:DASH, not a hyphen.
 * I'm no expert on image licences, are you sure each of those images can be used in this context?
 * Many thanks. All comments addressed and corrected except #2. Would the use of italics be more appropriate within the list (Title/comments column) to denote the position within the line of succession to the Presidency? Thanks again. -- Godot13 (talk) 00:12, 15 January 2013 (UTC)

My comments and thots ...
An FLC of the nature of this article is needed and I would be happy to support if a few changes were made ... 1) a lot of people ask questions about the worthiness of various individuals to appear on modern federal reserve notes ... the individuals were selected in the 1920's as images that would be considered distinctively "American" and give hand-to-hand currency users the confidence that this was the currency of the United States. Hunt down the relevant source for the info, and make the comment (just my solicited advice, value it for what you pay!) 2) Next, if you look on the back of the series 1976 two dollar bill, you will find scads of famous americans that you don't list here - please explain why not! And if you say it is because you don't refer to the reverse, then take Morse off the list! 3) the $5k and $10k united states notes certificates of deposits are omitted here, why? they were only banking pieces but, then again, so was the $100k gold certificate, how are the choices being made? 4) why start in 1861? President Buchanan appeared on the 1860 $1000 treasury note - why omit that? You include the 1861 2-year treasury note ...

Overall, an excellent article which is most def needed, but you gotta be clear about the rationale for what you include and exclude ....  Happy to engage more if any of this is helpful ... --LondonYoung (talk) 01:51, 9 April 2013 (UTC)


 * Thank you for taking the time to look over the FLC.
 * 1) I agree, many people do wonder how the current group of people depicted on U.S. banknote was selected. What you suggest makes sense as a significant criteria for selection, which I would be happy to add, as soon as I can find at least one appropriate reference for such a statement. I am looking.
 * 2) The 53 people included in the list each had their own individual portrait engraved and placed on U.S. Banknotes. This includes those individually depicted on the reverse of the notes (e.g., Morse, Fulton, etc.). The Trumbull painting engraved for the reverse of the Series 1976 $2 bill contains a laundry list of historically significant figures in American history. However, only Franklin, Jefferson, and Morris were individually featured on other bills. I did not list each founder depicted in the Trumbull painting because it is a group depiction.
 * 3) The Series 1875 $5,000 and $10,000 Certificates of Deposit were more like checks (or receipts) than negotiable currency or banknotes. This was also true for the early (1862-1863) high denomination gold certificates, but by 1870-1875 they were redesigned to resemble negotiable currency. While the $100,000 gold certificate was not a negotiable instrument for the general public (along with the other high denomination 1934 gold certificates), the $100,000 note is designed in exactly the same style as its lower denomination counterparts. Also, while there are some flaws in every major reference book if you look hard enough, the central reference text for United States Banknotes (for collectors, not necessarily researchers) is Friedberg, who does not assign a catalog number to Certificates of Deposit.
 * 4) I chose to start in 1861 because was the year of issue for the Demand Notes (greenbacks) and it was the time that Congress began to overhaul the system of currency. I also needed to select a cutoff date to limit the scope of this particular list.
 * The first line of the list/article states that the inclusion criteria are United States banknotes from 1861 to the present. This seemed like a fairly complete and manageable task. I do hope to create at least one or two more similar lists, possibly for Confederate Currency, and maybe for U.S. Bonds.
 * Again, thank you for your time and input. I am looking for support in the literature for the first point you raised. -- Godot13 (talk) 00:45, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Regarding the first point raised: [Quote from the BEP website]It was determined that portraits of Presidents of the United States have a more permanent familiarity in the minds of the public than any others. This decision was somewhat altered by the Secretary of the Treasury to include Alexander Hamilton, who was the first Secretary of the Treasury; Salmon P. Chase, who was Secretary of the Treasury during the Civil War and is credited with promoting our National Banking System; and Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence...Treasury Department records do not reveal the reason that portraits of these particular statesmen were chosen in preference to those of other persons of equal importance and prominence.[]--Godot13 (talk) 01:59, 10 April 2013 (UTC)
 * More of me blathering on ... I think you need to change the opening sentence to refer to "individual portraits" as per your answer above ... this will deal with Trumbull's painting (and the like), and it will also deal with the image of Columbus, who appears individually, on the $1000 Legal Tender because "portrait" often implies an emphasis on the face ...  I also think you have to mention that you are relying on Friedberg - at least in a footnote - because, if nothing else, Sherman never appeared on a U.S. banknote though he probably would have appeared on the never-issued $500 coin note to which Friedberg none-the-less assigned number 379 ...  these two changes, and I will be happy to support

I will say nothing of the fact that the reverse of large size NBN's contained ovals at each side of the reverse which some states used for portraits of favorite sons ... we can only go so far! --LondonYoung (talk) 01:41, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
 * and, to be clear, I would like the article to say that it relies on Friedberg for the definition of what counts as a U.S. Banknote ... this is a list, and what is on, or off, this list seems to have been determined by Friedberg (which is fine, but you need to say that)--LondonYoung (talk) 01:47, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Your suggested clarification has been added to the first sentence of the list. There is already a footnote by the W.T. Sherman entry (in the far right column) indicating that he was depicted on the $500 Treasury Note which was designed, printed, but never issued. I am curious as to your reference to the reverse of NBN's. Only the Series 1882 Date Back and Value Back has an individual portrait on the reverse (William Fessenden)... unless you are referring to the individual content of the State Seals on the reverse of the 1882 Brown Backs.

Do you have any objection if I copy our discussion onto the FLC nomination page where other such discussions have taken place? Thanks again for your time and insightful comments.--Godot13 (talk) 02:45, 12 April 2013 (UTC)
 * yes, Fessenden was on my mind, but I see you have him. Washington also appears in the same spot on another NBN, so you'll want to add that to your list for Washington.  But I was also thinking of the state seal spot - I don't have a complete collection and it may indeed be that there are no individual portraits! --LondonYoung (talk) 20:27, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
 * The State Seal of Washington (1882BB) is a bust of George Washington. None of the other state seals depict a single (identifiable) individual. Thank again for your comments.--Godot13 (talk) 21:04, 13 April 2013 (UTC)
 * Washington is on the reverse of all 1882 Date and Value Back $5's, no?--LondonYoung (talk) 01:02, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

You are correct ;-) It will be added/noted--Godot13 (talk) 17:56, 14 April 2013 (UTC)
 * I messed around with the intro, revert if you don't like ...--LondonYoung (talk) 23:58, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

CSS image crop
Replaced most of the images with identical or similar using css crop allowing reader to click on image and see the entire note. Of the initial 47 replacements/substitutions, 40+ are from/link to a banknote which is a featured picture.--Godot13 (talk) 05:38, 3 November 2014 (UTC)

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Proposal to add a little information about the origin and type of federal banknotes
First of all, nice list. Anyway, I think that a quick overview of the types of banknotes would be helpful for readers in understanding this list. There isn't really any information given to help the reader understand why no one appeared on United States banknotes prior to 1861, nor what the differences are between the various notes. I propose adding something like: "The federal government first issued paper money in 1861 in the form of the Demand Note, which Congress authorized to help support the country's finances during the American Civil War. The Treasury Department began printing United States Notes in 1862, and in 1913 the Federal Reserve began printing Federal Reserve Notes. Various other notes, including National Bank Notes and Gold Certificates, have also been issued. Small size Federal Reserve Notes are the only type of U.S. banknote currently produced, though United States Notes are still valid currency." Orser67 (talk) 03:18, 24 May 2019 (UTC)