Death NYC — "Red Star" Single Dollar Bill
Signed & Numbered Pop Art Stencil on Real U.S. Currency
Spray-Paint Stencil · Series 2017 Mnuchin Note · Acrylic Display
What You Are Getting
An authentic Death NYC signed pop art piece on a real U.S. one-dollar banknote, featuring a bold red spray-paint stencil of a five-pointed star centered over the face of the bill. The stencil blew through as it was sprayed — creating a crisp star silhouette surrounded by a textural red spray halo and characteristic overspray splatter around the edges. Pure, punchy, and graphic.
The substrate is a Series 2017 U.S. Federal Reserve Note signed by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, with serial number C50169758A. The artwork is hand-signed by Death NYC on the reverse in black marker, with an edition fraction marked below the signature.
Housed in a premium 12" × 12" magnetic clear-acrylic display frame — a substantial, gallery-grade presentation that centers the single banknote within a generous matted field of negative space, giving the red star bold visual impact. A clean, graphic, conversation-starter piece — the red star is iconographically loaded (Soviet emblem, Macy's, Converse, protest graphics) and reads as either art-historical reference or pure punk attitude depending on the viewer.
Piece Details
| Artist |
Death NYC (b. 1979, New York) |
| Title |
Red Star — Single $1 Dollar Bill |
| Substrate |
Authentic U.S. $1 Federal Reserve Note (Series 2017) |
| Serial Number |
C50169758A |
| Currency Signer |
Steven T. Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury |
| Medium |
Red spray paint stencil applied to real U.S. currency |
| Signature |
Hand-signed in black marker on reverse with edition fraction |
| Display |
Magnetic clear-acrylic display frame (single-bill format) |
| Framed Dimensions |
12" × 12" (~30.5 × 30.5 cm) |
| Condition |
Excellent — banknote crisp, paint bold and dry, signature clean |
About the Work
Stencil on Currency. Death NYC's currency-series is her most recognizable format, extending a tradition that includes Andy Warhol's signed dollars, Keith Haring's 1987 $2 bill drawings, and Basquiat-era SAMO interventions. This piece departs from her typical offset-print technique in favor of direct spray-paint stencil application — giving the work a raw, street-practice immediacy. The red paint registers as a physical, tactile mark on the banknote rather than a printed surface treatment.
The Red Star. The five-pointed star is one of the most iconographically dense symbols in graphic design — carrying simultaneous associations with Communist iconography, military insignia, American patriotism, protest movements, skateboarding / punk subculture, and luxury branding (Converse, Macy's, Heineken). Death NYC's placement of the star over a U.S. dollar bill activates every one of those readings at once, inviting the viewer to supply their own interpretation.
Format Scarcity. The single-bill format in Death NYC's currency catalog is less common than the two-bill diptych. Single-bill pieces with direct-applied spray paint (rather than offset overprint) are scarcer still.
About Death NYC
Death NYC is an anonymous New York–based street artist (b. 1979) whose pseudonym stands for "Don't Easily Abandon The Hope." Active in SoHo and Chelsea since the early 2010s, her work appropriates luxury fashion, pop culture, fine art, and political imagery across street posters, limited-edition prints, and real U.S. currency. She sits within the contemporary street-art canon alongside Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Mr. Brainwash, and Plasticgod, with signed pieces trading through Heritage Auctions, DEWIT, Louiza Auktion, Invaluable, and specialty galleries including Samhart and Plazzart.
✓ Authenticity Guaranteed
Signed by Death NYC on the reverse in black marker with edition fraction. U.S. currency substrate is an authentic Series 2017 Federal Reserve Note with valid serial number C50169758A verifiable under UV/magnification. Gauntlet Gallery has operated as an authenticated street-art specialist in San Francisco since 2012 — sold with our provenance and authenticity documentation.
What Is Included
- Original Death NYC signed spray-paint stencil on real U.S. $1 Series 2017 banknote
- Hand-signature and edition fraction on reverse
- Premium 12" × 12" magnetic clear-acrylic display frame
- Gauntlet Gallery provenance & authenticity documentation
Shipping & Handling
Ships via UPS with full insurance and signature confirmation required. Acrylic display protected with acid-free tissue, corner protectors, and rigid double-wall corrugated carton with fragile labeling. Tracking provided upon label generation.
International buyers welcome — please message for quote.
Collect Death NYC Currency Works
Gauntlet Gallery regularly stocks Death NYC currency-series works and signed prints. Browse our full eBay store for additional single-bill and diptych pieces and signed editions from Banksy, Shepard Fairey, KAWS, and Mr. Brainwash.
Authenticated · Archival · Gallery-Grade
GAUNTLET GALLERY
Authenticated Street Art & Collectibles · San Francisco · Est. 2012
Gauntlet.Gallery
Questions about the signature, edition number, or shipping? Message us through eBay — same-business-day response. High-resolution close-ups available on request.
