United States Savings Bonds are debt securities issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to help pay for the U.S. government's borrowing needs. They are considered one of the safest investments because they are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government. The savings bonds are nonmarketable treasury securities issued to the public, which means they cannot be traded on secondary markets or otherwise transferred. They are redeemable only by the original purchaser, a recipient or a beneficiary in case of the original holder's death.
Photo mural promoting the purchase of Defense Bonds, in the concourse of Grand Central Terminal (December 1941)
Post WWII $25 Series E US Savings Bond (1953) and strip of 10¢ US Savings Stamps
$1,000 Series EE savings bond featuring Benjamin Franklin
United States Treasury securities, also called Treasuries or Treasurys, are government debt instruments issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending, in addition to taxation. Since 2012, the U.S. government debt has been managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, succeeding the Bureau of the Public Debt.
1969 $100,000 Treasury Bill
1976 $5,000 Treasury note
1979 $10,000 Treasury Bond