What is the difference between a 1957 series and a 1957A series silver certificate?

Answer 1

Up till 1974, a letter was added to a bill's series date every time a new Treasury Secretary or US Treasurer took office. The first bills in a series date are always "plain"; i.e. they don't have a letter, so "A" means that the bill carries the secondcombination of Treasurer/Secretary signatures. "B" would indicate the third combination, etc.

For 1957 US $1 bills the officials were:

• Plain - Treasury Secretary Robert Anderson and Treasurer Ivy Baker Priest
• "A" - C. Douglas Dillon and Elizabeth Rudel Smith
• "B" - C. Douglas Dillon and Kathryn O'Hay Granahan

In 1974 the Treasury altered the criteria for changing series dates and letters. Currently a new series date is normally used when a bill's design is changed OR a new Treasury Secretary takes office, and a letter is added only when a new Treasurer is appointed.