This note is not in my collection. Scans courtesy of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's American Currency Exhibit

Front: Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), 28th President of the United States 1913-1921

Wilson graduated from the College of New Jersey (Princeton University) and the University of Virginia Law School. He earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University and became a professor of political science and later president of Princeton in 1902. Wilson ran for President in 1912. He won by an overwhelming electoral vote but only 42 percent of the popular vote.

Back: One Hundred Thousand Dollars

This 100,000 Dollar Gold Certificate is the highest U. S. denomination. Only 42,000 were printed. They were used only for transactions between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department. These notes were never issued for public circulation. When the Government stopped using them in the early 1960s, most were destroyed.

Only a few are known to have survived. They are housed at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Smithsonian Institute.

It's illegal for a private person to own one of these notes, and none has ever been in private hands. All 42,000 were accounted for.

I've received many letters, mostly from indonesia and the Philippines, claiming they have found bundles of these notes. Some enclosed photos and even "Certificates of Authenticity". Upon close examination, the notes appear to be poor quality counterfeits. Careful reading of the wordings of these certificates turns up to be nothing more than official looking nonsense.

However, if you are still convinced that what you have is real, then you must turn it over to proper authority. The note, never distributed to the public, remains the property of U. S. Government. Let's assume you have one, it's considered stolen property. It's illegal for you to keep or sell it.