1917 $1 Legal Tender Note Red Seal Large Size Sawhorse George Washington

The Series of 1917 $1 United States Legal Tender Note stands as an essential centerpiece of American numismatic history, representing the final large-size one-dollar Legal Tender issue produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) under the Act of March 3, 1863. Measuring the classic large-format dimensions of approximately 7.375 by 3.125 inches, this historic emission concluded the expansive "horse blanket" design era before the federal transition to standardized small-size currency in 1928.

The obverse composition centers on the portrait of George Washington, engraved after Gilbert Stuart’s celebrated 1796 painting. To the left of Washington is the iconic historic vignette "Columbus in Sight of Land," engraved by Peter Burt, depicting Christopher Columbus and his crew upon first sighting the Western Hemisphere. The obverse is distinguished by vibrant red overprints, featuring a scalloped red Treasury seal alongside deep red serial numbers and the full legal tender obligation text authorizing its use for all debts, public and private.

The reverse features a complex geometric green lathework framework that earned this issue its famous numismatic moniker, the "Sawhorse" back. The bold structural Roman numeral and ornamental border design strongly resemble a woodworker's sawhorse, creating one of the most recognizable back motifs in U.S. paper money.

Across its production run, the 1917 $1 checklist encompasses primary Friedberg catalog classifications ranging from Fr. 36 through Fr. 39. Key signature combinations on this issue include Teehee–Burke (Fr. 36), Elliott–Burke (Fr. 37), and Speelman–White (Fr. 39), along with the scarce signature-transposition variety of Burke–Elliott (Fr. 38), mule plate varieties, and star replacement notes.

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