1934 $10 FRN star set (quasi educational)

I began the journey to collecting this set in January of 2014. It has been quite a ride.



I purchased this note from Bottomline Currency in July of 2014. This note is from the first 24,000 note run: November of 1934, and a total of 276,000 notes were printed in LGS format.



I purchased a VF B star from Denly's of Boston in the Summer of 2014, and upgraded it with the note above in September of 2016. The note above was purchased from Lincoln Stamp and Coin in Worcester Massachusetts. This note is from the October 30, 1935 run. This note is a CU62 due to centering and a 9/16 inch teller pinch that is barely noticeable. 900,000 printed.



A note upgraded for the THIRD and FINAL time !! I started in February of 2014 with a washed VG, upgraded a year later to a VF25 / VF30, and recently purchased this note. From the April 1936 printing, and a total of 168,000 printed over a three year period. eBay purcahse.

D star: none yet.



I purchased a VG10 in June of 2014, and upgraded with this note in February of 2020. I can see PMG giving this a 30Q, which would be finest known. This note is similar grade wise to the note below. This is from the first 24,000 note run in January of 1935. 108,000 printed. eBay purchase.



Purchased from Greg Muselli in February of 2014. Only three consecurive GEM CU's are finer. This is from the last run, in September of 1937. 96,000 printed.

G star: none yet.

H star: ON HOLD !! A VF35.



Purchased from Phil Thomas last Summer (2021). From the first run, in December of 1934. 84,000 printed.

It seems that I don't have a picture for the J star, but will get one.



Purchased from Bottom Line Currency on layaway that began in January of 2015. This is the key to the series with only two confirmed notes surviving. This is from the April 1937 printing, and a total of 60,000 were printed between December of 1935 and September of 1937.



Purchased on eBay in June of 2018, and upgraded a F/VF bought in March of 2015. 204,000 printed.

Dark Green Seals:

A star: SOON !! And it is a dandy.

B, C, D, E, F stars: none yet !!



Printed December 31, 1937 !! Purchased from a fellow collector in Guam.

H trhough K stars: none yet !!



Purchased in December of 2020, with the G star above. L stars are very tough. This one will grade a 35, but has some paper pulls / disturbance. Still, few are this nice. Printed in late April of 1938.

1934 MULE stars !!

These are much tougher than many realize and are under loved and under valued !!



Very tough mule, unknown in high grade. About six known.  August 2022 purchase.



A very rare mule star, with four known so far, all F to low end VF. November 2022 purchase.



A RARE RARE RARE star !! Three known and this is the only CU in existence so far !! eBay purchase. Printed in late September of 1938. Purchased in May of 2022.

D through F star: none yet.



Another eBay purchase !! Purchased in late 2020. This note is from May of 1938, and might be the first run of mule stars.

I have a crummy picture of the H star, that I will redo and post.



Purchased in February of 2016 from Lake Region Coin and Currency. It is almost entirely impossible to assemble a set of mule stars without having the print dates spread way apart, because the I, J, and K stars known, are always from the 1940's. This note is from May of 1938 and is the sole surviving I star mule, with a vivid BGS and yellow green back. Surely lightning doesn't strike twice ;c)



Or does it ? ANOTHER vivid BGS with yellow green back. An October 2021 eBay purchase. This note was printed in December of 1938. Lighting cannot strike a THIRD TIME !!

WRONG !! I will get up a proper picture of the K star mule, which is not only TOP POP, but also ANOTHER vivid BGS with a yellow green back, from August 1939. Purchased the night of the 2020 Super Bowl. While my friends watch football, I am scouring eBay like a lion on the prowl.


The journey is not over, and updates will come.

Bill:-

For most of the $10 districts you've discussed, you chose the last print run in September 1937 as the last printing of light green seal stars. Many of those districts also had print runs in November and December 1937. Have you observed notes from all, or most, of those runs to definitively determine that the September runs were the last with light green seals?

For Atlanta, the last run of LGS was in September of 1937, with none until December.

There is a D star on eBay from October of 1937, with the same seal as the September notes.

I have seen several notes from November of 1937 that are more blue green than earlier notes, but more yellowish than later notes.

I have been calling the November runs "transitional". I would call the July to October 1937 runs transitional LGS, and the earlier vivid blue green seals "transitional blue green".

Early Star Fanatic wrote:I began the journey to collecting this set in January of 2014. It has been quite a ride.

Really impressive collection ESF!

I am exactly at the half way point on this set, and should be crossing the half way point this month. I am working a deal on the A star non mule DGS (top pop).

As of now, I have 18 of 36 notes. The A DGS might be the 19th.

Greenback wrote:

Early Star Fanatic wrote:I began the journey to collecting this set in January of 2014. It has been quite a ride.

Really impressive collection ESF!

This set is a mountain !! I am more than half way there.

The thing that concerns me is that even the most prominent and seasoned collectors (even 45+ year old collections) have failed to complete this star set !!