I picked up some paper money books at the library the other day to help with all the notes in that collection my wife and her siblings inherited (I found that Oakes and Schwartz small-sized currency book and the Standard Catalog of U.S. Paper Money, so thanks for those of you that made those rec's! ), and I just have a question about mules, since a few of you mentioned that some of the 70's notes had known mules: 1) What is a mule? 2) Are they errors of sorts? 3) Are they worth anything even in VF or XF condition? Any photos with circled bits (I'm guessing numbers) of what I should look for would be extremely helpful!
Mule usually means that the combination of plates / dies were never meant to be used together but they are used for other coinages / print. Chances are such mules are done "accidently", careless or intentionally used as the mint or printing companies are in a rush. Value wise, most definately a plus than original unless the mules are common which I think is quite unlikely but who knows...
Basically a mule is a coin or note with mis-matched obverse and reverse. The term includes errors as major as a cent obverse mated with a dime reverse. It can also include such innocuous things as a coin with a business strike die mated to a proof die. Their "premium" value ranges from zilch to WOW!
I'm definitely aware of coin mules, but paper money mules are another thing. The whole plate/series thing is pretty confusing...
http://currency.ha.com/common/glossary.php Scroll down for the terms - Ask Clembo where he got the specifics on the plates for the notes you are concerned about.
For the Scientist in me I can say that it is a cross between a Horse and a Donkey...LOL The Mule is a cross between a donkey stallion (called a jack) and a horse mare. Hinnies are just the opposite - a stallion horse crossed to a donkey jennet. For all purposes, hinnies and mules are classified and shown together under the general term Mule. A mule or hinny may be a male (horse mule or horse hinny) or a female (mare mule or mare hinny). Sometimes horse mules (the males) are called Johns, and the mares are called Mollies. Both male and female mules have all the correct "parts" but they are sterile and cannot reproduce. The others have answered it correctly!! RickieB
Better make that "they are almost always sterile and cannot reproduce", there have been documented cases of fertile female mules. Check out www.lovelongears.com/faq.html, and scroll down to where it says " For those who are following up with "Okay, what about the fertile mule we have read about.."
Ask away and here's the reply. Got the information from The Collectors Guide to $1 FRN's Series 1963 - 2003A written by Robert Azpiazu. The most comprehensive book on $1 FRNs that I know of by far. Plus I'm listed as a contributor. I only listed the K-G mule numbers but mules are also reported in E-H, K-F and G-I. I can get you those face plate numbers if you want them. L-I and K-* have been reported WITHOUT face plates. These are all 1977-A series by the way. Robert Azpiazu tears into $1 FRN's like nobody else I know. I do know a few of the other contributors as well and it's amazing how in depth they get. As Hontonai pointed out premium can be from zilch to WOW. I might add that in some series the NON mules are scarcer than the mules.
Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then..LOL If by chance that occurs it would be like a major lottery strike...every blue moon or two... RickieB
A modern day mule that was relatively easy to find occurred when the Fort Worth Facility started up. the Fort Worth Factility placed an FW mark in front of the front plate number and used a larger font for the back plate number. There were Series 1995 $1 bills printed in Fort Worth that accidentally used a back plate intended for use in Washington. The plate number was 295 (where as most plate numbers in Fort Worth were still in the single digits). If you hold up a FW note with a Washington note, you will see the difference in Font Size.
Thank you so much Gatzdon as that is the reason I am a contributor to Robert Azpiazus book. Some 295 errors are very rare and I haven't seen on in circulation in years. This list is quite old as is the website. Happens to be mine but don't think I'm breaking any rules. Basically just list a of my 295 errors. http://clembo.bizland.com/gm.html
I only have about a dozen of the 295 errors. In hindsight, wish I would have looked harder as they were out there and I'm sure millions of them were destroyed.
The FW 295 "mule" is not a true mule, it is an error where the number on the FW plate was simply made in the wrong size. The normal 295 plate was also used at the Washington DC facility. In order to be a true mule the plate intended for Washington would have had to have been shipped to Fort Worth and used there. I seriously doubt that there was only one 295 back plate and they shipped it back and forth.
Actually Azpiazu refers to it as an engraving error. I might add that finding a 1995 note printed in Washington D.C. with the 295 BP is a rare find. Some of the FW notes have only a few or less examples known. Very few botherd to keep the Washington notes. I have a VERY small handful of those.
So if the 295 was an engraving error, (and i'm not disagreeing with you guys over this), why were all the other backplate numbers so low? It's also possible that I'm just remembering those numbers incorrectly.
I've seen it called both gatzdon. Most frequently a mule actually. Not really sure to tell you the truth. What I DO know is it was not supposed to happen hence my having a few thousand of them. Blocks, front plates and runs is what really got me going. About 330 known combinations and I have over 300. Go figure.
