Post a mule! I was reading about how to ID a mule note, and in honor of learning something new I thought I'd start this thread for Mule notes. So, if I understand this correctly mule notes have different sized plate numbers, whether it is a difference from one side to the other: Or even on the same side: Is that right? if so great! If not, help me take my foot out of my mouth by posting your mules!
No, that's not what a mule is. A mule is a transitional variety. The BEP makes some change that affects both sides of the notes, but they're sloppy during the changeover, and so some notes get printed with old faces and new backs, or new faces and old backs. Those are mules. The best-known mules are the Julian-Morgenthau notes like Timewarp posted. The BEP enlarged the font size of the plate numbers, on both face and back. So a note with a large FP number and small BP number, or vice versa, is a mule. In other eras, other changes led to mules. Some large-size-note mules are defined by changes in the location of the plate number: a mule is a note with the FP number in the new location and the BP number in the old location, or vice versa. The 1977A/1981 $1 FRN mules are defined by a reset of the plate numbering: a mule is a note with a four-digit FP number and a low BP number, or vice versa. Notice that in these cases, mules have nothing to do with the font size of the plate numbers. Silent's two notes are not mules. These days, the BEP uses the font size of the plate numbers to *mean* something: the large BP number means that the note was printed at Fort Worth, and the large FP number on a $20 means that the note was printed on the new SOI presses. There's no transition going on here--these notes weren't printed with "old" faces and "new" backs, or vice versa--so these notes can't be mules.
Numbers has it right. A mule note has a pair of face and back plates from different time periods. In 1938, they changed the size of the plate numbers from micro to macro. When notes were printed, some of the newer face plates were paired with the older back plates, resulting in notes that had plate numbers of two different sizes. Large size mules were notes that had face plates from Frank White's period paired with back plates from the John Burke era. The only difference, as Numbers mentioned, was the location of the plate number. The size of the numbers were the same.
ok thanks for the info. I have a feeling this will take a lot of trial and error for me before I get it right..... Maybe I should ask my questions regarding mules on this thread, so as not to pollute anywhere else with my uncertainty. I look forward to my tutelage
Here is a 1981 $1 Federal Reserve Note Changeover Pair. The top note is serial number G00615726B printed with a new Series 1981 A back plate (plate number 16) and the bottom note is serial number G00615727B printed with a Series 1981 back plate (plate number 706). The note printed with a Series 1981 back plate is a mule.
THIS HAS COME UP BEFORE, AND NO ANSWER WAS GIVEN FOR AN OBV [MULE TYPE ONES AS SUCH] ONE WITH DIFFERENCE SIZE LETTER/NUMBERS. THEN YOU HAVE CROSS OVER NOTES TOO. ONE SERIES THAT HAS CONSECUTIVE SERIAL NUMBER INTO ANOTHER SERIES. I HAVE ONE SET OF OLD $20.00. LIKE A 1934 TO A 1934A THAT HAVE CONSECUTIVE SER#'S. YOU ALSO HAVE WIDE AND NARROW FACE PLATES. MANY THINGS TO LOOK, FOR AND RETAIN. ALL FORT WORTH BILLS ARE MULE NOTES IN ALL SERIES.
