Hello, My husband found an interesting $20 bill at work today. It is a 2004A $20 note, and it is missing the green seal on the front right. We're not sure if it is actually a misprint, or if it was tampered with. Please let us know what you think! Thanks!
Hello Melrut and welcome to Cointalk! I am not familiar with paper money errors but you may want to post this in the paper money section, although i'm sure someone knowledgeable will chime up here in a minute. I have heard of this happening before and it does not appear to have been tampered with... I say certainly worth more then $20~ Good luck J
It wouldn't be 'tampered' with as all the bills receive the markings in the mint and you wouldn't be able to just remove them. However, it COULD be counterfeit. However, it also has a strong chance of being real and an error. Typically bills with something missing draw quite a premium. Having worked with cash before I see that someone has tested the bill and it IS real but it will also draw less money because it isn't CU (Crisp Uncirculated). But I'm 99% sure from some quick research that it's worth more than $20. As JJK said, good luck.
eBay is also your best friend. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...dkw=&_osacat=3415&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313 Searched the currency error section for missing seal bills. You can see a 1996 going for $199 BIN. Only 8 results, so it must be a pretty rare thing. Most get caught at the mint and disposed of.
The US SS has a nice site for determining counterfeits: http://www.secretservice.gov/money_features.shtml
It's better to search completed listings. I could post a 1996 missing seal bill for a $20,000 BIN if I wanted. Doesn't mean anybody would buy it. Just a tip.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-Error-No...191?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231868da5f That's one in great shape, can't tell the shape of hers from the picture. Others sold for $100 in good shape.
As far as the OP's note, yes, this does occur. I pulled this dollar from circulation with the same error:
^Lol it does happen and it was clearly tested (top left corner) and checked out real by a cashier/bank teller.
