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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Numbers, post: 558583, member: 11668&quot;]You just need to know how the currency is printed, and do a little math.</p><p><br /></p><p>Almost all large-size notes were printed in sheets of four, numbered consecutively down each sheet.&nbsp; So serial number 1 is in position A, 2 is B, 3 is C, 4 is D, 5 is A again, and so on.&nbsp; Every multiple of 4 will land in position D.&nbsp; So if you divide the serial number by 4 and get a remainder of 1, the position should be A; a remainder of 2, it should be B; and so on.</p><p><br /></p><p>Some late large-size notes were printed in sheets of eight, but they were cut in half before the serials were applied.&nbsp; So positions E-F-G-H are equivalent to A-B-C-D respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>A few series were printed in sheets of three instead, mostly some of the early gold certificates; so you need to look at the remainder when the serial is divided by 3 instead of by 4.&nbsp; All large-size Nationals used a completely different numbering system in which all the notes on a sheet had the *same* serial number (it&#039;s a sheet number, not a note number), which means that calculations like this don&#039;t work for them at all.</p><p><br /></p><p>Small-size notes dated 1928 through 1935C, plus most of the 1935D series, were printed in sheets of 12 that were cut in half to sheets of 6 before numbering.&nbsp; So divide the serial number by 6 and convert the remainder to a letter from A to F.&nbsp; On the other half of the sheet, positions G-H-I-J-K-L are equivalent to A-B-C-D-E-F respectively.</p><p><br /></p><p>Again Nationals are weird: the 1929 Type I Nationals use sheet numbers the way the large-size Nationals did, but the 1929 Type II Nationals follow the divide-by-6 rule used by other early small-size notes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning late in Series 1935D, currency was printed in sheets of 18.&nbsp; These sheets were numbered very differently, with consecutive serials coming from different sheets instead of running in order down each sheet.&nbsp; Therefore the plate position calculations get substantially more complicated--and you have to know the standard print run length that was used for each series and denomination, which changed from time to time.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie4" alt=":mad:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Beginning with Series 1957 the sheet size is 32 notes instead of 18, but aside from that it&#039;s still the same complex numbering system.&nbsp; And the BEP is currently installing new presses that&#039;ll print 50 notes to the sheet; we&#039;ll have to wait and see whether anything else changes when currency from the giant sheets starts to be released.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you actually want the math-nerd explanation of how to calculate plate positions on modern notes, I can give it to you...but if your eyes are already glazing over from the amount of math in *this* post, then you do *not* want to see that explanation....&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie11" alt=":rolleyes:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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