1896 $5 "Presenting Light" Banknote Commemorative Coin

In 1893, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing approached a small group of artists to submit proposed designs for a new series of banknotes. Just three designs were ultimately issued in 1896, among them, the $5 "Electricity Presenting Light to the World" banknote, featuring Ulysses S. Grant and Philip Sheridan, defenders of the Union during the American Civil War. Issued by the U.S. Treasury beginning in 1878, silver certificates were a paper currency which could be exchanged for an equivalent amount of silver dollar coins. The 1896 series, now known as the Education Series, was rich with allegorical themes depicting technology new to the 19th century. The $5 silver certificate was considered an extraordinary masterpiece of unparalleled beauty. Entitled "Electricity Presenting Light to the World,” it was filled with magnificent Grecian-inspired figures representing electricity and the significant role it played in shining light on the entire world.