Description and research notes
This 1976 Bicentennial Issue 2 Dollars Federal Reserve Note from the Richmond District (Friedberg 1935-E*, E* Block) is a Star Replacement note produced as a substitute for defective sheets removed during quality control at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Identified by the star symbol in the serial number, replacement notes represent a distinct accounting category within modern United States currency production, issued to maintain precise numerical balance during large-scale print runs.
The Bicentennial of 1976 marked two hundred years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the United States undertook a coordinated year-long national commemoration. Every federal department participated in some symbolic manner. The Treasury Department’s contribution was the revival of the long-dormant $2 denomination, reintroduced on April 13 1976—Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. The note retained Jefferson’s engraved portrait on the face while unveiling a newly executed intaglio rendering of John Trumbull’s 1818 painting The Signing of the Declaration of Independence on the reverse. It became the first and only circulating paper-money commemorative intentionally issued by the United States government.
Across the country, collectors and ordinary citizens alike purchased freshly issued notes on release day and often paired them with commemorative postage stamps bearing April 13 1976 cancellations. These First Day of Issue creations blended numismatics and philately, transforming circulating currency into date-anchored historical souvenirs. While hundreds of millions of standard 1976 $2 notes were printed, Star Replacement notes were produced in substantially smaller quantities and were not typically available to the public in the same volume, as most were reserved for internal distribution through banking channels.
As an uncirculated Star Replacement example from the Richmond District, this note combines production significance, Bicentennial symbolism, and collector-driven First Day association. The green Treasury seal, crisp paper stock, and sharp intaglio detail reflect the technical precision of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing during one of the most culturally visible currency releases in modern American history. It stands as both a corrective manufacturing artifact and a tangible relic of the United States Bicentennial celebration.