i am pretty good with paper currency but errors are not my strong suit. here is a 1976 $2 chicago note. the reserve seal is very faint. this is something i had grabbed when i use to work at a bank. the seal doesn't look or feel like it has been erased off or any kind of use of chemical either. i am curious what everyone thinks about the error and the value. any help would be greatly appreciated.:thumb:
I feel that it is not an error. If during the second printing process, all the other would have been light too. Sorry.
I don't believe it is an error either, because the district numbers (7) are dark. The district numbers and the federal reserve seal are printed together. Although it's possible for the note to be under-inked in a localized area, it's unlikely.
Page 275 of US Error Note Encyclopedia has a $1.00 note with an underinked district seal. The district numbers are OK. Also a $2.00 note with a district seal and left 2 district numbers underinked. I vote for an error.
I believe it is an error as well. It would not have much of a premium though, maybe $20-$30 at the most. It's a keeper though.
The paper tone in and around the seal does not match the rest, it is visibly lighter. I vote pencil eraser.
Now that I look at the large resolution image, I have to concur with MEC2. The paper around the seal is much lighter.
the only reason i think it has not been erased is the fact that when i run my finger over that spot it feels no different than the rest of the note. if it was erased it would have a feel of erased paper. it would feel slick. i have actually tried this before and the paper of the note and in the area that was erased felt much different then the rest of the note. i worked in a bank for many years and have handle tens of millions of dollars in currency. i could be completely wrong. i have included a hi-res scan of just the area around the seal. the only thing i see on the note that would lead me to believe it was erased is the very top of the 6, 3 and 0 in the serial is a little lighter. besides that i see no lightening around the seal at all. is that what you guys are referring to? please check it out and let me know if you still feel the same way. :thumb:
The lighter serial numbers indicates alteration. There's no reason for them to be lighter if the seal was under-inked. Perhaps it was due to chemical alteration and not a pencil eraser.