A couple newbie questions

Digerati

Hi folks, new to Collectors Universe, but not new to forums.

I dabble mostly in coins (on a very amateur level) but I have a couple bills I've been hanging on to for many years. I finally started to inventory these things for, as my mom used to say, "when I'm done using them" so my kids know what's what. I have a couple questions I need answers to.

1. 1957A $1 Silver Certificate with blue Treasury seal. I know this bill is worth about $1.01 on a good day. My question is, this bill has no Federal Reserve Seal. Other than the serial #, plate serial and position numbers, it is identical to this one. The serial number on mine also starts with a "P" and ends with "A".

My question is, where was it printed?

2. I have two $1 bills (1969B) (perfect - to my eyes condition - no wear at all) with sequential serial numbers. These bills were "miscut". The printing is centered correctly vertically, but are significantly off-center (to the right) horizontally. The full note is displayed, with no part of an adjacent note protruding. But, I don't see how the image could get any closer to the edge without cutting off some of the image.

So, question #2 is, are these just novelty items, or worth something more than $1 each?

Thanks

Steve_in_Tampa

Welcome to the forum.

The 1957A $1 SC doesn’t have a Fed seal because it’s not a Federal Reserve Note. The prefix letter “P” has nothing to do with a Federal Reserve District (Letters A through L) because once again, it’s not a Federal Reserve Note. It was printed in the early 1960s by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington DC. All US paper money was printed in Washington DC until 1987 when the Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth started sharing the responsibilities.

As far as the two 1969B $1 FRNs and them possibly being error notes, post photos of the front and back for members to view.

Digerati

First, thanks for the warm welcome.

Next, thanks also for the lesson about Federal Reserve Notes. Interestingly, I used to live in Arlington, VA in the early 60s and we visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington DC for a school field trip. Clearly, if they told us all paper money was printed there, my mind was elsewhere - or 60 years later, is elsewhere now!

The bottom note on front looks exactly the same as the top and vice versa - it is just bill 605.

Thanks.

Steve_in_Tampa

I’m suspicious of the note’s length.
Is there anyway you can post a photo of a current $1 note and the above note comparing the overall length ? It looks like this note has been trimmed.

Digerati

@Steve_in_Tampa said:
I’m suspicious of the note’s length.

Well, I know I haven't been here long enough to earn anyone's trust - but... .

I did say the bills were "miscut". But pretty sure you can see on the bottom bill's image the white border on the right side is noticeably wider than normal. Even if the one side was "trimmed" (by someone other than the Bureau of Engraving and Printing), the cut piece was not glued or taped to the other side. I don't recall what store I got these from in change, only that it was not a bank. But the fact they are so crisp and in serial number sequence does tell me they had just came from a bank, and not tampered with.

I will say they are just under 155mm in length, barely 1mm shorter than other bills I have in my wallet, and just slightly shorter than the 156mm standard - not enough to account for the whole shift of the miscut.

Steve_in_Tampa

Thanks again for the photos.
The note clearly has terrible margins. The general rule of thumb accepted by the collecting community is, it doesn’t officially become a cutting error until a portion of an adjoining note is visible in the margin(s).

Digerati

The general rule of thumb accepted by the collecting community is, it doesn’t officially become a cutting error until a portion of an adjoining note is visible in the margin(s).

  
Yeah, that make sense since those bills would (should!) be caught before they leave the building and never make it out in circulation. I was just hoping these might be worth a bit more than a $1 simply because they were two bills, over 50 years old, in great condition, and sequentially numbered.

Oh well. I will still hang on to them and let my grandson decide what to do with them,

Thanks again.

Steve_in_Tampa

Personally and respectfully, if I received them in circulation, I’d definitely keep them because they’re interesting and eye catching. However, I don’t like them enough to offer anything over face value but that’s not to say someone on eBay wouldn’t. Thanks for sharing.

Digerati

Well, I was still in high school back in 1969 so I am sure once they caught my eye, my first thought was they would make me rich one day! LOL I suspect my dad slapped me back into reality but I hung on to them because, as you noted, they are interesting. So I stashed them with my tiny collection of Silver Certificates and $2 bills.

But who knows? Maybe one day. One can always dream.

Now, off the store to buy the winning lottery ticket.

Thanks again.