I have to give credit to my dad for this find. He knew I took a look at every cent and dollar that comes through my hands, and as such has started doing so at time himself, but today he spotted something that looked rather odd! Looks to me like an insufficient ink error note! Everyone else's take?
That is certainly a very cool piece! It could and most likely is what you think it is, but it seems to me that there is still some ink carried over farther down to the left in the white space, so Im not entirely sure.
Not being snarky, but I'm genuinely asking how would someone fake this without affecting the other side? Have there been other fakes of insufficient ink notes?
I'm thinking obstruction as well. IDK if it would be a fake, although people do almost anything to $1 bills these days. I lean away from insufficient inking since the ink area on the bottom of the blank side is strong ink color. If it was insufficient inking, the color wouldn't be as bold.
Makes sense. I was saying insufficient ink for the fact that the ink more or less fades out rather than just abruptly stops at the edge of something. Also the ink kind of "sputters" vertically through the U in UNITED and down. That isn't missing ink from wear or anything. And with an obstruction, how would that little spec get there? BTW, in my answers when I reply with a lot of questions, don't think I'm doubting your opinions, just trying to gain a further understanding. I know quite a bit about currency, but errors are a whole new ballgame to me.
I'd be wary on this one for sure. Something on it screams an altered note. The note itself seems washed/bleached in some ways. I'll try to do a research see what I find. I know I have found notes before which were altered to make it look like a error but after closer inspection and asking on here, I found it was indeed a fake. I wrote about it here http://www.collectorsunleashed.com/blog/?cat=113 I still have the note and ask myself, why would someone do this?
tonedcoins: the feel of the note feels right. Doesn't feel washed or bleached or even that it had been wet at any point. The pictures are completely terrible, so forgive them, I was taking the lazy route by just shining a light bulb on the note rather than actually using a flash. White balance is rubbish, etc. I know its super hard to tell things on a note in a picture since most is by feel and the way it flows. And interesting story on your error. That would be an interesting thing to see in person.
I was thinking maybe someone peeled a layer off of the reverse or used an eraser if it was fake. I have even heard of a powder that "rubs" the ink off. If it is an obstruction, I was thinking thin paper. Not Kleenex thin, but thin enough for an occasional ink dot to get through.
Obstructions can range to anything you can imagine being in a large "factory" that prints money. also, they can shift at any time during the process, so that could explain the amount of ink that is in some spots. To be perfectly honest though, I would send it off to a Third Party grader (TPG) company just to be 100% sure. Also, if you plan on selling it, error note collectors such as myself generally stick to graded notes to avoid possible counterfeits.
I have indeed noticed that most errors sell much better when certified than not. Its rare if ever I've seen any error notes at a coin/currency show outside of a TPG's holder. I might just do that. I'll at least look into the feasibility of it. I plan on keeping it in the collection, if for nothing else than the story, but for the future's sake, I guess authentication doesn't hurt. Thanks all for your help and comments btw! If anyone has anything to add, feel free!
I'm not very well versed on currency errors. So "obstruction" just means something in the way while it's printed? Like a grease filled die on a coin, sort of? And is that still considered an error?
Here's a beauty that Don Kelly has up for sale with the retained obstruction!: http://www.donckelly.com/error/$5retained_obstruction.html
