Silver certificates are a type of representative money issued between 1878 and 1964 in the United States as part of its circulation of paper currency. This $20 silver certificate, part of the series of 1878, depicts Stephen Decatur, a United States naval officer and commodore who became a national hero after his numerous naval victories. The series is known for the ornate engraving on the reverse of the notes. This banknote is part of the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution.
Banknote design credit: Bureau of Engraving and Printing; photographed by Andrew Shiva