Just out of curiosity, my father passed away and left me a box of dollar bills, coins, etc. In it I found a 1963 red seal $5 bill. The front of it looks ok, but I was shocked when I flipped it over to find it completely blank. I was told this could be caused by an extreme shift, but I am unsure. If this is legal tender, is it worth anything?
Legal tender, Yes. Caused by an extreme shift, No. The backs of the notes are printed first. What would cause this is two sheets stuck together and going through the press at the same time. Then when the fronts were printed the sheets separated. (or they may not have separated until after the front was printed. In that case you would have a note with a blank back and one with a back and blank front. The "blank" front may or may not have the serial number overprinting.)
Thanks for that bit of info. I am definitely new to this money stuff So do I need to find the missing "back" or is it even worth anything other than $5 right now?
If it's a true error, it'd carry a premium, depending on condition (which is probably pretty good, since noticeable errors don't circulate very long). What the premium is, exactly, I couldn't say.
