Hi everyone! Just found your forum while browsing the net for information on some error notes that just came into my possession. My grandmother worked at a bank in the security department for many years, and kept anything interesting that happened to cross her desk, substituting her own money of course! So now has come the time to get rid of them. Different books and websites offer sometimes drastically different prices, but we are sure that they are worth quite a bit. I was hoping you all could shed some light on how rare these really are? There are: 2 $10's uncirculated, that are missing the face printing (only serial number and seal on the front) with a normal back. They are also sequential serial numbers. 2 $20's uncirculated, that are double struck on the back (face is printed on the back over the normal back) A $10 with absolutely nothing on the back, but a normal front. This one was uncirculated, but somehow got a small fold on the lower right corner. It is not noticeable on the front, but with the back being blank you can tell. A $20 uncirculated, with no serial and seal on the front, but instead printed on the back. This one we have not been able to find in any book or website, so it is a bit of a mystery. There are also numerous Silver Certificates from 1935/1957 in various conditions. As well as a full set of notes from 1934 that have the writing on the front much larger than normal, it was explained to me that these were only produced for two years and if you have the entire set of notes they are worth something. We have the 2,5,10,20 and 100, unfortunately missing the $1. Any input/opinions on what I have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance
Mike, you will need to post pictures so the memvers on this forum can tell you more about them (and if they are geniune/fake). Post a picture when you can.
As soon as pictures are posted I can give an idea of what the notes are worth. Take your time as we'd love to see them!
Ok here are some scans I just did, I didn't take them out of the plastic sleeves for fear of damaging them, but if you need me to I suppose I can do so carefully. Anyways, I only scanned the 6 bills I think are the most interesting, if anyone wants to see any of the others just let me know. Thanks!
Wow....nice. I can't wait to hear what they are worth.....some experts will be posting. The 35 and 57 silver certificates are probably only worth a few dollars over face if uncirculated, and less depending upon the condition. Again, pics would help on those too.
Those are some great finds! You may want to consider having them graded by a third party grading service.
Alright, I've been excited about this all day since I'm a big error note fan (recently got into these). Here's what I can tell you about the notes based upon the scans. 1. Value is generally not dependent on the denomination of the note, but rather the significance of the error. Therefore, whether the note is $1, $2, $5, $10, etc, it will not increase or decrease the value. 2. The two $10 notes you stated as missing the face printings are missing what we call the 2nd printings. Notes are printed by the BEP and start with the back of the bill. The face is second and the overprints are third (seals, serial numbers). For your notes missing the 2nd printing, a guide for these is around $400 in Extra Fine and $750 in Choice Uncirculated. 3. The two $20 notes you described as "double struck" is what is known as an offset printing. This happens when a sheet of currency fails to enter the press and the plate contacts the impression cylinder. When the next sheet is fed, it receives not only the original printing, but a transfer of the opposite side as well. These errors have a value dependent on the amount of the note that is offset, and how dark the offset is. Your notes fall into two categories. One is a medium face to back offset that covers the whole note and would be worth $100 in Extra Fine and $300 in Choice Unc. The second is a partial offset and worth around $50 in Extra Fine and $100 in Choice Unc. 4. The $10 with nothing on the back is considered a blank back error, or missing the 1st printing. These are not as dramatic of an error as missing the 2nd printing or overprint, hence they are worth less. $200 in Extra Fine and $300 in Choice Unc. With the fold in the bill, it would automatically drop the grade to About Uncirculated to XF. 5. The $20 note with the seal on the back of the note is an overprint on back error. This happens when a sheet is fed into the press with the back side towards the overprinting press instead of the front. A darker impression of this error would command higher prices, but yours is a lighter variety. XF value is $125 and Choice Unc around $300 for a darker variety. I would value yours in the XF $100 range and Choice Unc $250 range.
Wow guys! Thank you for all the replies! I'll be sure to update with what I got for them when they finally do get sold. I'm a bit surprised on the prices though, the books we purchased valued the 10's missing the 2nd print at around $1500 apiece in uncirculated condition, but who knows. Anyways, I have to say I enjoy your forum and I'll be sure to come back. Also if you guys would really like to see pics of the silver notes I can scan them as well, it just won't be for a few days. Have a spectacular weekend all!
I've seen fluctuation on notes missing the 2nd printing in books as well. While these are just guides and should be treated as such, they give a basis on where to start. To get a firm idea of what these types of notes sell for, I always check Heritage auctions completed listings to see what market value is.
