Chronology of Small-Size Notes

This table lists the terms of office of the officials who sign U.S. paper currency and the corresponding types and series of currency that bear their signatures. In reading the table, it should be kept in mind that notes bearing a given official's signature may continue to be printed for a time after that person leaves office, so not all notes of each series were necessarily printed during the ranges of dates listed here. The page on delivery dates of the various series and denominations can often provide additional information as to when each series could have been in production.

This table covers the small-size notes issued from 1928 to the present. For information on series dated before 1928, see the chronology of large-size note issues. Also, for illustrations of the various signatures, see the page on signers of U.S. currency.

U.S.
Treasurer
Secretary
of the
Treasury
Terms of
office
Series of:
Federal Reserve Notes Silver Certificates U.S. Notes
$1$2$5$10$20$50$100 $1$5$10$1$2$5$100
TateMellon4/28-1/29   282828   28   28  
Woods1/29-2/32   28A,28B28A,28B28A,28B28,28A28,28A 28A   28A28 
Mills2/32-3/33   28C28C28C   28B   28B28A 
Woodin3/33-5/33   28D     28C  28   
Julian6/33-12/33         28D 33    
Morgenthau1/34-7/45   34,34A34,34A34,34A34,34A34,34A 28E,34,35,35A34,34A33A,34,34A 28C,28D28B,28C 
Vinson7/45-7/46   34B34B34B34B34B 35B34B34B 28E28D 
Snyder7/46-5/49   34C34C34C34C34C 35C34C34C 28F28E 
Clark6/49-1/53   34D,5034D,5034D,5034D,5034D,50 35D34D34D 28G28F 
PriestHumphrey1/53-7/57   50A50A50A50A50A 35E5353 5353 
Anderson7/57-1/61   50B50B50B50B50B 35F,5753A53A 53A53A 
SmithDillon1/61-4/62   50C50C50C50C50C 35G,57A53B53B 53B53B 
Granahan1/63-3/65 63 50D,6350D,6350D,6350D50D 35H,57B53C  53C,6353C,63 
Fowler4/65-10/66 63A 50E,63A50E,63A50E,63A50E,63A50E,63A     63A 66
(Granahan)Barr12/68-1/69 63B              
ElstonKennedy5/69-9/70 69 6969696969       66A
Kabis9/70-2/71 69A              
Connally2/71-7/71 69B 69A69A69A69A69A        
Bañuelos12/71-5/72 69C 69B69B69B69B         
Shultz6/72-5/74 69D 69C69C69C69C69C        
NeffSimon6/74-1/77 74767474747474        
MortonBlumenthal9/77-8/79 77 7777777777        
Miller8/79-1/81 77A 77A77A           
BuchananRegan3/81-7/83 81 8181818181        
Ortega9/83-1/85 81A 81A81A81A81A81A        
Baker1/85-8/88 85 8585858585        
Brady9/88-6/89 88 88  8888        
Villalpando11/89-1/93 88A 88A88A,9088A,909090        
WithrowBentsen3/94-12/94 93 9393939393        
Rubin1/95-5/99 9595959595,969696        
Summers7/99-1/01 99 999999 99        
MarinO'Neill8/01-12/02 01 0101010101        
Snow2/03-6/03 03030303040403        
Cabral12/04-6/06 03A03A03A04A04A04A03A        
Paulson7/06-1/09 06 06,0606060606,06A        
RiosGeithner8/09-1/13 09090909090909,09A        
Lew2/13-7/16 13131313131313        
CarranzaMnuchin6/17-1/20 17,17A17A17A17,17A17,17A17A17A        

Notice that Granahan and Barr were never actually in office simultaneously, even though their signatures do appear together on the Series 1963B $1 FRN. This is the only series ever to use non-contemporary signatures this way; the exception was made only because no Treasurer was in office during Barr's very short term as Secretary.

Note also that Elston and Kabis are actually the same person: Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis married while in office, and changed her signature accordingly.

Older denominations and types

In order to keep the size of the tables reasonable, these obsolete issues are presented in a separate listing.

U.S.
Treasurer
Secretary
of the
Treasury
Terms of
office
Series of:
Federal Reserve Notes Gold Certificates
$500$1000$5000$10000$10$20$50 $100$500$1000$5000$10000$100000
TateMellon4/28-1/29               
Woods1/29-2/32 282828282828 282828282828 
Mills2/32-3/33         28A     
Woodin3/33-5/33               
Julian6/33-12/33               
Morgenthau1/34-7/45 34,34A34,34A34,34A34,34A    34 34 3434
Vinson7/45-7/46 34B 34B34B          
Snyder7/46-5/49 34C34C            

The only small-size notes not included in either of the above tables are the National Currency and Federal Reserve Bank Notes. These notes were issued in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100; all are Series 1929. They are not signed by the Secretary of the Treasury, but bear the signatures of U.S. Treasurer W.O. Woods and Register of the Treasury E.E. Jones.

A few words about series numbering

As is clear from the tables, the year in the series designation does not represent the year the bill was printed. What exactly it does represent has changed over time. Originally, the series date was the year the overall bill design was authorised or adopted, and the series letter was advanced each time a minor change was made to that design (usually a change of one or both signatures). This was the rule until 1974, when William E. Simon became Secretary of the Treasury and decided that each new Secretary would result in a change of the series year, not merely the series letter. The new policy has since been followed by every succeeding Secretary except G. William Miller, whose signature appears on notes designated Series 1977A rather than the expected Series 1979.

However the series designation is determined, most changes in it are due to a change in the signatures on the notes. The following is a list of all other reasons for series changes since 1928:

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