1935-A $1 North Africa silver certificate with multitude of signatures, margin notations "good luck and clear sailing..." and "in memory of the S.S. Santa Elena..."; seldom seen 1928-D $2 legal tender note with mostly obverse signatures, ripe for research; 1923 $1 large silver certificate with signatures and Don Barclay illustration

Provenance: Private Collection

Note: On November 6, 1943, the American steamship Santa Elena, used as a troop transport, was attacked by German torpedoes. The damaged craft was taken in tow by the S.S. Monterey, but eventually sank off the coast of Philippeville, Algeria. Despite this, the Monterey successfully rescued 1,675 crew members of the doomed Santa Elena and transported them to safety in Naples, Italy.

Actor and artist Don Barclay performed a one-man USO show for the troops in 1943, touring every allied base in North Africa, India, the Middle East, and China. He later surmised that he had drawn over ten thousand caricature illustrations for servicemen, the doodle found on this currency note being an example.

each displaying nicely with professional grading by PCGS