I found these 3 sequential notes tonight. The first one is the one that I have the question about; the other two I include for comparison purposes. The lower left trailing "1" is visibly weak and the same digit in the upper right is almost non-existant. There is a very faint outline with slightly more micro-dots of ink at the top and bottom. It actually shows up more in the scan than "in hand", possibly from the more intense scanner light. Also, the C of D.C. is weaker. So, what would cause this and does it carry a premium (with or without the set of 3)? Thanks, Jon
Nice finds!! Not much of a collector premium. Very minor error. Someone may pay 2X face for all three as a set. Maybe slightly less or more. Very nice & difficult to find like that though! Congrats!!! CLAW
im not sure, but i would think you might be able to get slightly more then just $2 from the note with the missing numeral. been wrong before though
Definitely keep the notes together and put them in a protective holder. Don't ever let that first note get wet, humid, etc... as that would quickly call into question it's genuineness. I think it's a pretty cool find and I would definitely have space for it in my collection. It has a premimium, but unfortunately I couldn't tell you what it is. Most dealers would probably not want to bother with it as they may not be able to mark it up enough. Best bet if you ever went to sell it would be either on ebay or face-to-face at a show/club meeting/etc...
Well, I don't do ebay or paypal, etc. Even though I am a computer programmer, I don't trust the net-based transactions enough to do business that way. I do like the idea of the open forum. Probably because I have always loved the idea of cutting out the middle man (read "mark-up"). I'm still wondering what would cause this error. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks to all for the thoughts and information.
i could point out the obvious, that when the 'ink application' device was used to put ink on the serial number printing device, enough ink wasnt applied. but that could be way off i see weak ink printings from time to time, mostly where the entire serial is weak. im not sure which happenes more either
I can think of a couple of (completely uncheckable) causes - The "1" somehow broke off the number wheel, in which case every tenth note in the series would have the same defect. A piece of lint or a scrap of paper got stuck on that number wheel position after the wheel was inked and before it was impressed on the paper, in which case subsequent notes might have an ink smudge where that digit belongs. No. 1 is less unlikely than No. 2. And, before anyone else points it out, neither explanation deals with the lighter appearance of the same digit in the other serial number.
Well you not not like what I am going to say, but it is a possibility. Take any note you have in your wallet and get a very good low abrasive eraser and erase a number on the note! You will find that our paper composition is robust enough to get rid of the number easily....I checked with a very well known friend of mine and that was his first response. RickieB
Yes, but such pressure is used to apply the serial number that you would also erase the impression of the numeral. OP has indicated (and it appears so from the pic) that the impression of the numeral is still present. The most likely cause is a malfunction in applying ink to the number 1 prior to printing the serial numbers.
Gatzdon, you might have a point there, however, a good ink eraser would remove the ink, not the impression of the numeral#1. All things are possible I suppose, but Mr. Kelly's impression of the image I asked him to view was what he expressed to me. With the amount of pressure used I am sure it breaks the paper surface and would leave the impression regardless. To remove the impression one would have to remove paper along with it and a loop would expose that easily. Who knows for sure??? RickieB
i think to answer this question for sure, a knowledgeable person would have to examine the note in hand. Certainly an exciting note to find - i do hope it turns out to be real
Solvent would be the only way to remove the ink without damaging the embossed image of the serial number. Hence my comment to never get the note wet or even expose it to high humidity. If that note even remotely looks like it's been wet, virtually every moderately experienced collector/dealer would pass on it due to the uncertainty.
Gatzdon, I am not too sure about this comment. I called and discussed this with Professor/Mr. Kelly and his expertise in Paper Money is renowned throught the USA. His remarks were that "erasing would not remove the indentation caused by the pressure from the plates". Do you have any information that leads to a better explanation of what you said? If so, I would appreciate understanding that info by reading the results of testing or whatever method the organization or individual used to qualify that with. Thanks in advance.. Regards, RickieB
I fully admit that what I'm saying is opinion, but what kind of friction based erasing could remove ink from the paper without affecting the surface of the paper?
Hello Gatzdon, No problem at all....Mr. Kelly suggested that I do some experiments and I plan on doing just that. I am curious and I will purchase several grades of erasers ink and pencil and test on the new and an old note. I have a microscpoe at work and will survey the results and post my findings. This may take a while, I have some Corporate travel scheduled for the next couple of weeks, but I will do some analysis on the friction, the ink and the time it takes to carefully remove the ink, trying not to distrub the indentation and then having no regard for the indentation and we will see what the out come is...LOL Should be fun. Stand by.... Regards, RickieB
If you are going to do experiments, your best bet would be with a putty based eraser, but that would technically involve a minimal amount of solvent. Remember the days of using silly putty to copy newsprint from the newspaper. An art supply store would probably be the best place to start for unique type erasers. I would be interested in seeing your results posted here. Good Luck
