Anomalously high value of $50 1937 Osborne in Unc?

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I have always wondered why the 1937 $50 note with Osborne-Towers signatures in AU and UNC carry such high catalogue values relative to certain other 1935 and 1937 notes in the same grades. The current catalogue value is $15,000 in UNC, which exceeds by a wide margin the corresponding values of the 1935 $50 English ($12,500), the 1935 $100 English ($9,500), the 1935 $1000 English ($11,000) and the 1937 $1000 ($10,000). Similar observations can be made for the AU grade as well. Moreover, the $50 1937 Osborne is merely a signature variety whereas the other notes mentioned are distinct type notes. Any explanations or comments would be greatly appreciated.

This issue was previously debated, not too long ago.  The response has not changed since then, to wit:
The $50 Osborne-Towers is virtually non-existent in UNC.  That is truly UNC by the CPMS standards, not a circ that's washed and pressed and trimmed and all prettied up real nice.  An UNC  should have little difficulty fetching that price should it ever be offered.

i have seen 1 in edmonton not to long ago

In fact, I believe the owner of the single known example has turned down a bonafide offer of $15,000 for the note.

If I was the owner of that nice note. I would keep it because it would be a good feeling to me that I am the only one that has this note in UNC.  8-)

Wouldn't that be a heartbreaker if some little old lady who's husband passed on, deposited several 1937 Osbourne/Towers $50, $100 bills in sequential order, all UNC at the bank after her husband saved them when the new 1937 issue first came out? Not only that, she deposited them at one of the banks who's policy is to send them to mutilated, no exceptions, like RBC, Scotia Bank? Could happen. Didn't some lady deposit four 1935 $500 in UNC a few years ago, not knowing at the time they were worth $40,000 each?

Yup, d_polo that did happened a few years back. What a shame but those notes did not get mutilated rather were saved and are now in the Museum.

I have always wondered why the 1937 $50 note with Osborne-Towers signatures in AU and UNC carry such high catalogue values relative to certain other 1935 and 1937 notes in the same grades. The current catalogue value is $15,000 in UNC, which exceeds by a wide margin the corresponding values of the 1935 $50 English ($12,500), the 1935 $100 English ($9,500), the 1935 $1000 English ($11,000) and the 1937 $1000 ($10,000). Similar observations can be made for the AU grade as well. Moreover, the $50 1937 Osborne is merely a signature variety whereas the other notes mentioned are distinct type notes. Any explanations or comments would be greatly appreciated.

High grade $ 50 Osborne notes are seemingly more rare then some of the notes you mention. Charlton account for only 100,000 printed as an estimate. I bet there is somewhat less. You see VG's and Fines from time to time and they often fetch better than book value. Anything VF and up just doesn't seem to be out there.

Does anyone have an idea what the highest serial number known is for the note ? Is it exactly 100,000 ?
The highest I know of is 0075290

It's notoriously difficult trying to reconcile rarity with financial value. Demand is the critical factor in the rarefied atmosphere of top-condition, rare and expensive notes. I just have a gut feeling that there are many more people out there who would be willing to spend $11,000 for an Unc 1935 $1000 note or $10,000 for an Unc 1937 $1000 note than who would be willing to spend $15,000 for an Unc 1937 $50 Osborne, but I could be wrong.

I feel that it's sometimes helpful to look at things from a different perspective. For example, if you won a lottery prize and you had the choice of an Unc $1000 1935, an Unc $1000 1937 or an Unc $50 1937 Osborne, I just cannot believe that too many people would choose the $50 1937 Osborne but, again, I could be wrong.

It's important to remember that the Charlton catalogue prices on the $1000 1935, the $1000 1937, the $25, $50 & $100 1935, etc., in AU/Unc are pretty accurate as there have been several/many public sales of these notes in recent years. However, a 100% Unc $50 1937 Osborne has apparently never been offered at public auction in the past so this note is obviously of the very highest rarity -- if one ever came up at public auction it could well go even higher than the catalogue value!  On the other hand, previously unrecorded examples could conceivably surface in the future. This is the sort of thing that makes paper money collecting so exciting!