I picked up this bill on ebay listed as a buy it now. I got it for $25 and I believe that was a good price. I think the seller didn't realize this was missing a red seal. Does any one have any Idea what this type of error might be worth?
Well it seems it might be possible because that's what I seem to have. I agree that does seem odd but the printing "TWO" where the red seal would go over is still sharp so wouldn't that part be washed out if the bill had been altered? I would imaging that it would be hard to wash out the bill and still keep that ink sharp there. I did see a bill similar to this (green seal) I appreciate the feedback I will raise this concern with the seller. You make a good point I had not considered. Thank you.
You can see a faint yellow outline where the seal was . More than likely Chemically removed as most are .
The serial numbers can still be present without the seal. You're thinking of an error where the entire 3rd printing is missing. A seal can be under-inked, with the remaining parts perfectly printed. Take a look at the note below where the federal reserve bank seal is under-inked, but the district numbers (part of the same printing) are mostly strong. Another possibility is that there was an obstruction in that area (like a piece of cardboard), which prevented the seal from being printed. However, due to the presence of some faint yellow discoloration, I'm inclined to suppose chemical alteration. Concentrated oxalic acid will remove the red without (significantly) harming the black ink behind it.
Yep, better living through chemistry. I have a $100 1966A series red seal where the oxalic acid has even turned the serial number this yellow color. It lightens them up to where repeated application makes them fade to almost nothing. Yours might have been intentional since the serial numbers were protected. Mine was probably in someone's stained shirt pocket and was washed that way. (Oxalic acid is used in laundry products to remove stubborn stains.)
They use it for hull, decks and even the cushions. There is a product called OxiClean which not only is used in marine environments, but is used to remove stains on work clothes or any clothing fabric. They do recommend testing it first to make sure the fabric is colorfast.
OxiClean does not contain oxalic acid. It's not an acid at all. OxiClean is just hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate. Trust me, you don't want oxalic acid anywhere near your clothes or even on your hands. It's sometimes sold as wood bleach for wooden decks and a hull cleaner for boats:
As others have said, it's very easy to remove the red ink without affecting the black ink. However, the process usually discolors the back of the note, turning the green to blue-ish. Do you have a photo of the back of that $2? I'm guessing there'll be a spot right behind the missing seal where the green ink has turned blue, from the chemical alteration.
