Fingerprint Imprint on $1 Star Note

Hi-

I'm curious if this is a "thing" or not I have a stack of 2013 K 04315101..200 $1 star notes. On the reverse of each bill, below the "N" in the word "ONE", is the physical texture of a fingerprint, with some degree of ink highlight on it, unique to each bill in the stack.

When I say its physical, in other words, if I run my fingernail over the fingerprint, I can feel the texture of the fingerprint in a similar way you'd feel the texture of ridges on the reeded edge of a coin.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Is it an error? Is the fact that the fingerprint has a texture indicate the nature of the error in more detail, than say, just an ink fingerprint with no accompanying physical imprint accompanying it?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

It is caused by Washington on the other side of the note.

 

I agree with @lettow . This happens A LOT and is very common.

 

It bled through the note from the obverse, probably Washington. Very common.

 

I didn't know the BEP had Washington's fingerprints on file...

 

The owner of the orchard, where he chopped down the cherry tree, filed a complaint against him and he was arrested and fingerprinted. Once you are one file with the government, you are tracked for life and the hereafter. :>)

 

They can't be fingerprints. The lines are all parallel and spaced uniformly.

 

Thanks to all for the quick reply, next time I will lay off the sauce and inspect the front of the bill first to help determine what may lie on the reverse. Anyone interested in buying a stack of Star 1s with Washington's texture bleeding through? Heheheheh

Thanks again!

 

It is not bleed through from Washington's portrait on the front. All $1 notes have this as it is intentionally engraved into the printing plates by the BEP. It's not meant to mimic a fingerprint, even though it looks like one. It becomes less noticeable as $1 notes get used and worn but you can still see traces of this on notes that are in average and used condition. I forget the purpose behind the BEP making $1 notes with this but I know of an expert who has an answer. I'll send the expert a message and see if he wants to respond on here with the answer.

 

Wait, WHAT ?

Are you serious ?

 

Well, there remains the possibility that I am wrong but I recall reading about this before a number of years ago. Let's see what the expert has to say.

 

I hear the Jeopardy song playing in the background.

 

Say what??? Please explain...

 

A message has been sent to the expert asking if an elaboration can be given. It is ultimately up to him if and when he chooses to respond.

 

@NOS , may I ask you, who is the expert you are referencing ?
Maybe I also know them.

 

I went to the bank yesterday and they had new $1.00 bills, still banded in serial number sequence. They always let me look through them and out of 200 new, clean, crisp $1.00 bills I found nothing. No errors, no fancy numbers, no start notes and not a single bill had bled though. Oh, and none of them had the "intentionally engraved into the printing plates by the BEP" on them.

I do wish your "expert" would respond. I'm still waiting for an answer and that Jeopardy song is starting to get on my nerves.

 

The notes you looked at yesterday are obviously errors since they were missing this element. I recommend you go back and get them all.

 

I'm not thinking, it's that song, I can't get it our of my head!

 

Since there is only green ink on the back of a note, wouldn't this require a another printing and plate just to get it in black?

 

The expert I'm referring to goes by the name of Excelsior, among other names. This is not worth losing sleep or stressing over. This issue has been discussed on the following thread: http://forums.wheresgeorge.com/show...of-1s-and-the-quot-fingerprint-quot&p=4253831

I recommend switching the display on there to "Linear Mode". One poster on there refers to the "fingerprint" as an "offset inking error" that hasn't bled through. So, take it as you will in attempting to explain it.