$1,000 Bill From 1891 Auctions For $2.5 Million At Currency Signature Auction, Sets World Record

Good day: cashing in on a $1,000 note. Great day: cashing in a $1,000 note for $2.5 million.

That's how much a $1,000 United States Treasury note from 1891 recently fetched at the Currency Signature Auction in Schaumburg, Ill.

According to CoinWeek, the sum for the $1,000 bill set a new world record for a U.S. banknote sold at auction.

The 1891 $1,000 bill is believed to be only one of two in existence. It features a portrait of U.S. General George Meade, a man once described as "a damned old goggle-eyed snapping turtle," CoinWeek notes. It was originally expected to sell for $2 million.

The note last sold at auction in 1944, when it fetched $1,350, according to UPI.

In 2012, a $1,000 note from 1918 featuring Alexander Hamilton appeared on the television show "Pawn Stars." The bill was estimated to be worth $7,000 -- far less than the 1891 version because there are more in existence. (About 150 of them were produced.)

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