1886 $1 Martha Washington Silver Certificate Grades xf details. Here’s the famous Martha Washington note, and what a note it is! Featuring the “Mother of our Country,” it’s still the first — and only — United States paper currency to feature a real-life woman as the primary portrait. The certificates were first printed in 1886 and could be redeemed at any time for a hefty silver dollar. The 1886 series was the very first of the $1 Silver Certificate notes, and this note has been ranked as #50 in the book 100 Greatest American Currency Notes. The note was so popular that Martha Washington returned for a second series with a slightly revised design in 1891. The design began in the summer of 1886. The Galveston Daily News reported on August 17th, 1886, "It is learned at the Treasury Department that the new Silver Certificates authorized at the last session of Congress will not be ready for issue before November, the $1 certificate contains a vignette of Martha Washington." The portrait featured on the currency is based on Charles François Jalabert's portrait of Martha Washington.