Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-05-01
MISPRINT BANK BILLS
Errors That Slip Past the Watch
ful Treasury inspectors.
THE MOST CURIOUS BLuNoER.
\ National Bank Note Which IL For
$50 en- One Side and For s1co on the
Other SiSo-slow the Error Was
Made and How IL Was Discovered.

~-'F'' 49, ~ hit~pAAulc1 DdDk notes
sometimes. though rarely, slip past the
eyes of the inspectors i'm the United
States bureau OF engraving and print
Ing. AZ is said that fifty dollar M
uon3l bank note was the most remark
able misprint that ever escaped the
government employees ana found its
way into circulation.
IL was discovered in n peculiar way.
a clerk IN a Chicago hotel In making
up hts accounts one day found a dis
crepancy he couldn't explain. He
placed the pile OF bills on his left hand
side. and az he counted each one turn
ed the note over and deposited IL on n
pile 1t his right.
He found that when he counted from
left TO right his cash exactly balanced.
but when he counted 1t back again n
shortage OF $50 was shown. After
spending two hours In vain endeavor
10 find out what was the matter he
called in the manager.
The manager had no better success.
Backward and forward he counted tho
bills. hut always with the same result
-one time the cash balanced and the
next the shortage was developed. f.
nsHy each bill wac examined separate
~. both diverse and reverse.
And thcn tie mystified men discover
ed the cause of their trouble. one Of
the bills had the design of $50 on the
diverse and that OF 500 on the re-
verse.
The clerk had received the bill as
500.
The United States treasury was com
municated with. and It was admitted
that such bill was out and that the
department. had record OF Il. II was
discovered in 1890 that one sheet Of
bank notes Of the denomination of $50
and 500. printed for the Aetna Nation
nj bank Of Kansas City. Mo-. had been
reversed in the press. One plate bore
the diverse Of fifty dollar bill ut the
top and the diverse OF q hundred dol
lar hill at the bottom. The other plate
bore the reverse OF the two notes.
After cach sheet was printed It was
laid aside 20 dry before being run
through for the diverse printing. In
some way the preSsmen turned one
sheet upside down. with the result that
two misprinted bills came forth. one
with fifty dollar diverse and hun
dred dollar reverse. the other with q
hundred dollar diverse and n fifty dol
lar reverse.
The cashier OF the bank was the first
to become aware OF the error BE
found that something was wrong after
lie had paid out the note with the fifty
dollar face and the hundred dollar
back 10y coming across the one with
the hundred dollar face and the fifty
dollar hack The note held by the
cashier was returned 10 the treasury
and destroyed. perfect note being is.
sued in its plsce.
The other note is now In the posses
sion Of collector OF paper money,
who values IL ut several thousand dol.
lars.
In the sixties an error of a similar
nature occurred In which bank note
was printed with the ten dollar OBJ
verse and a twenty dollar reverse
While this bill is not as great a rarity
rs the other. still its owner would not
part with IL Tor sum much less than
that at which the fifty dollar hill Is
valued.
The reason why it Is less valuable
than the other In the eyes OF the col
lectOrs Is the belief that more bills lflze
1t were issued, and probably some OF
them are still In existence. OF the for.
NOR denomination the owner is abso-
lutely certain that his specimen Is
unique. It's companion error. having
been destroyed. but there is no known
record OF the redemption OF the error
with the ten dollar face. IL Is reason
ably certain that at least four OF then,
got into circulation.
Errors We're found IN the design OF
the 1880 silver certificates. These
Were ratc-~ the fault OF the engravcr
than the printer
On the 1880 notes is found treasury
seal entirely different from any other
ever used 10y the government. The
key, which is one OF the most impor.
tact symbols of the seal. shows n han
de ut the left hand side instead of 10
the right. Us on all others.
The shield is OF different shape and
the stars are larger. The two ends OF
the band surrounding the symbols are
fastened with a buckle. which In no
other instance plays a part in the de-
sign OF treasury seal This is the
only issue OF notes on which the pc
culiar seal was used. and collectors OF
paper money include them among the
errors or freaks.
The one. two ana five dollar certifi-
Gates and the ten dollar legal tender
bills of the present issue occur with
what are known as inverted backs. As
n matter of fact this Is a wrong de-
scripton, as they are really inverted
fronts. for the backs Of all bills are
printed first. These bills are sought by
collectors. who pay Il premium for them
when in fine condition.
Another curiosity is one dollar note
OF the Second National bank Of Raven
ma. O. This lHcks the signatures OF
both the president and cashier. al
though il was generally circulated and
never challenged.
y one dollar national bank note OF
the First National bank OF Fall River.
Mass. also lacks both signatures. which
seems not 10 have interfered with its
being offered and accepted as money,
Still another one dollar note of the
FIRST National bank OF Indianapolis
lnd, lacks the signature of the presi.
dent only.
Slight as are these errors or omis.
sions. they give additional value n
Such bills in the eyes OF coIlertors ~
paper money. who are ALWAYS clad IN