Odd serial number digit $1 note
Bikingnut
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I don't post much here, but I figured someone here might knownthe answer. Why is the 6 in this serial number a different font?
US Navy CWO3 retired. 12/81-09/04
Looking for PCGS AU58 Washington's, 32-63.
Looking for PCGS AU58 Washington's, 32-63.
1
Comments
Probably a little bit of extra ink is the issue, not really worth more than a dollar.
God bless all who believe in him. Do unto others what you expect to be done to you. Dubbed a "Committee Secret Agent" by @mr1931S on 7/23/24. Founding member of CU Anti-Troll League since 9/24/24.
That appears to be font they still use today for the number "6".
Right font,. Nothing unusual.
Overinked digit. It's a minor error.
Someone please tell me. How do both of the 6s become over-inked, but nothing else?
I'm not sure but can offer a few observations and a guess.
If we look at "turned digit" serial number errors on these, one serial number is affected while the other is not. Makes sense as one of the right side digits could get dirty and sticky while the left side doesn't.
When we see both sides affected, as on this note, there are two possibilities. The first is that one set of numbers is used on a single machine and the note is run through the numbering press twice, but this inefficient method hasn't been used by the Treasury or BEP for over 100 years.
Another possibility is that the ink flow is computer controlled and the overinking error on one side is a "cut and paste" error duplicated on the second side.
Printing each digit uses a different amount of ink and some digits (at the ends of serial numbers) use all digits pretty equally but the first digits of serial numbers don't change often. A "1" probably uses less than average and a little less than a "2". So, the end digits will use an "average" amount of ink while the first numbers will use more or less than the average, depending on the digit. This results in a constant need to change the amount of ink used on each digit, so, I'm pretty sure that each digit is inked individually rather than all at once and a computer probably controls this ink flow. It mistakenly detected that more ink was needed on the "6" and then copied the error to the second printing head for the "6", too.
Does that seem like a possibility and can anyone confirm or deny this guess?
The A3 plate position tells me it’s from a 50-note sheet and overprinted on the new(er) LEPE presses. On the older COPE presses that overprinted 32-subject sheets, all of the overprint happened on one pressing. The LEPE presses use computer controlled serial number heads that are so large, that the left and right serial number heads cannot fit side by side at the same time and are applied separately. I’m not certain if each individual serial digit has their own inkwell or not.
I don't understand why, but I have noticed that this situation, with just one digit of the serial number being overinked, but overinked on both copies of the serial number, is common. I get lots of notes from circulation that are like that.
So the answer is just that it's an overinked digit printed twice with the same overinked digit, in two separate passes.
I didn't know that the BEP went back to overprinting the serial numbers in two passes on the Lepe presses instead of a single pass. It seems less efficient.