PMG Registry Set Showcase: Stacks and Stacks of Hundreds

This month we’re looking at the Small Size Federal Reserve Note $100 Set. To be 100% complete, this set requires a $100 bill from every series of Small Size Federal Reserve Notes issued from 1928 to date, a total of 31 different notes. There’s always interest in this larger denomination because it’s the highest face value bill currently printed in the US, and accordingly over 30 different collectors are building sets in this category.

Because only one note from each district is required from each series, a fun way to explore building this set is to look at the combined PMG populations by series. While an individual note might be scarce, certified examples from a particular series might be more common than first thought. PMG has certified a total of 4,148 $100 Federal Reserve Notes. Here’s a full breakdown of PMG population by series:

Looking at the populations there are several series that are represented with fewer than 100 examples. The scarcest is the series 1934D, of which PMG has certified just 15. No surprise, really, as less than a million were printed.

Turning back to the Registry Sets, although there clearly is interest in $100 bills, only three sets are more than 40% complete and many have just three or fewer of the 31 notes required. With that said, nine of the sets in this category have been updated within six months, so it is an active category.

The top ranking set in the category belongs to West Coast, the West Coast Small Size Federal Reserve Note $100 Set. It’s 77% complete including 24 of the required 31 notes, but every single note grades PMG 65 EPQ or better. It also includes a PMG 68 EPQ, one of just 18 Small Size FRN $100 bills graded at this level. (PMG has graded only four 69s in this category in its entire history.)

The lone complete set in this category is owned by WACHS. His WACHS - Small Size Federal Reserve Notes, $100 Complete Set is mixed in grade ranging from F 12 to 67 EPQ. The goal, according to the set description, was completion and as the only complete set in the category it seems to be a lofty goal to have attained. (Congratulations WACHS!) This set is great to look at because WACHS has imaged every single note. A fun way to explore this set is by examining the gallery view of his set.

With the new $100 bill coming out next, there is much more buzz in this Series, and it’s an area where Registry participation is expected to grow.