1769 Pennsylvania 5s PA-142 PMG AU53 Finest Known Bettering House Census Note For Sale

1769 Pennsylvania 5s PA-142 PMG AU53 Finest Known Bettering House Census Note a.imagelink {color:#000000;} a:hover.imagelink {color:#000000;} a:visited.imagelink {color:#00A8A8;} a.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #000000; } a:visited.imagelink img.saleimage { border: 2px solid #00A8A8; } />COLONIAL - AMERICANA
Premier Curators of Foundational Early American History

Up for public sale from the COLONIAL - AMERICANA collection is an absolute museum-grade blockbuster of early American currency history: a March 10, 1769 Pennsylvania Five Shillings (5s) note. Issued a full seven years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this iconic piece of pre-Revolutionary paper was struck during the brief window of peace between the French & Indian War and the outbreak of the American Revolution.

#### **UNDISPUTED FINEST KNOWN — THE ULTIMATE CENSUS SENTINEL**
Certified and conservatively graded by PMG as About Uncirculated 53 (AU53), this note represents an absolute pinnacle of survival for the Friedberg PA-142 variety, completely freezing out the competition across all grading networks. This very same note once was in a PCGS AU53 holder and part of the Eric P. Newman Collection, but was crossed over to PMG in 2015, or before.:
* **The Entire PMG Population** consists of a microscopic 11 total examples, with every other single note trapped in heavily circulated grades. The next closest surviving piece stops cold at a modest Fine 15. Your AU53 stands as a spectacular, untouchable condition outlier.

Off the market for over a decade in a private collection since its last purchase in 2015, this Top Pop crown jewel represents a once-in-a-generation registry acquisition.

#### **HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA \"BETTERING HOUSE\" EMISSION**
Authorized explicitly \"for the Relief and Employment of the Poor in the City of Philadelphia,\" these highly sought-after notes are affectionately known by specialists as \"Bettering House Money.\" The historical importance of this issue is immense, and its extreme value in high grades is thoroughly documented in numismatic lore. In his definitive opus, Eric Newman noted a baseline valuation of $1,500 for a lower-grade F12 example of this exact 5s note, while valuing common lower denominations at upwards of $4,500 in comparative AU state.

#### **PROBLEM-FREE EYE APPEAL & HISTORIC PATRIOT SIGNATURES**
This magnificent specimen stands in a flawless, straight-graded holder with zero qualifiers, restorations, or faults. It exhibits wonderfully choice, darkly inked typography with stunning visual contrast. The face proudly displays the bold 4-digit serial number 1588 alongside the crisp, hand-inked signatures of prominent Philadelphia colonial civic leaders Abel James, Thomas Say, and Joseph Fox. Joseph Fox (1709–1779) was a wealthy Master Builder, city commissioner, and one of the most outspoken leaders among the Philadelphia craftsmen on the absolute eve of the Revolution.

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### **ITEM SPECIFICS & TECHNICAL PROFILE:**
* **Year:** March 10, 1769 (Pre-Revolutionary Issue)
* **Denomination:** Five Shillings (5s) — \"Bettering House Money\"
* **Die Variety:** Friedberg #PA-142
* **Serial Number:** 1588
* **Signers:** Abel James, Thomas Say, and Joseph Fox (Master Builder & Patriot Leader)
* **Certification:** PMG (Paper Money Guaranty)
* **Grade:** AU53 (About Uncirculated 53 — Straight Grade)
* **Census Status:** Finest Graded / Top Pop Across Both Services Combined!

Free insured USPS priority mail with signature confirmation to anywhere in the Unites States.

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