Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-26
MIsPRINTEo BANK NOTES.
Errors That Get Past the Treasury In
spectors.

Errors That Get Past the Treasury In.
speetors.
Imperfect or misprinted bank notes
sometimes, though rarely, slip past
the eyes Of the inspectors in the Un-
tied States bureau Of engraving. 1t is
said that a fifty dollar national bank
note was the most remarkable mis-
print that ever escaped the govern
ment employees and found its way
into circulation.
1t was discovered in a peculiar way.
| A clerk in a Chicago hotel in making
up his accounts one day found dis
crepancy he couldn't explain. He
placed the pile Of bills on his left
hand side, and as he counted each one
turned the note over and deposited
it on pile at his right.
He found that when he counted
from left to right his cash exactly
balanced, but when he counted 1t back
again a shortage Of $50 was shown.
After spending two hours in a vain
endeavor to find out what was the
matter, he called on the manager for
assistance.
The manager had no better success
Back and forward he counted the bills,
but always with the same result-one
time the cash balanced and the next
the shortage was developed. Finally
each bill was examined separately,
both diverse and reverse.
And then the mystified men dis
covered the cause of their trouble.
One Of the bills had the design of $50
on the diverse and that Of 500 on the
reverse.
The clerk had received the bill as
500.
The United States treasury was
communicated with, and 1t was ad-
mitted that such bill was out and
that the department had a record Of
it. 1t was discovered in 1890 that one
sheet Of banknotes of the denomina-
ton of $50 and 800, printed for the
Etna National Bank of Kansas City,
Mo-, had been reversed In the press.
One plate bore the diverse Of fifty
dollar bill at the top and the diverse
of hundred dollar bill at the bottom.
The other plate bore the reverses OF
the two notes.
After each sheet was printed 1t was
laid aside to dry before being run
through for the diverse printing.
In some way the pressman turned one
sheet upside down, with the result
that two misprinted bills came forth
one with a fifty dollar diverse and
hundred dollar reverse, the other with
a hundred dollar diverse and fifty
dollar reverse.
The cashier of the bank was the
first to become aware of the error. He
found that something was wrong after
he had paid out the note with the fifty
dollar face and the hundred dollar
back by coming across the one with
the hundred dollar face and the Atty
dollar back. The note held by the
cashier was returned to the treasury
and destroyed, a perfect note being
issued in its place. The error note
is now in the possession Of q collector
of paper money, who values 1t at sew
eral thousand dollars.
In the SOS an error Of a similar
nature occurred in which a banknote
was printed with the ten dollar OBJ
verse and a twenty dollar reverse.
While this bill is not as great q rarity
as the other still its owner would not
part with 1t for a sum much less than
that at which the fifty-one hundred
dollar bill is valued.
The reason why 1t is less valuable
than the other in the eyes Of collectors
is the belief that more bills like 1t
were issued, and probably some Of
them are still in existence. OF the
former denomination the owner Is
absolutely certain that his specimen
is unique, its companion error having
been destroyed, but there is no known
record Of the redemption Of the error
with the ten dollar face. 1t is reason
ably certain that at least four Of them
got into circulation.
Errors were found in the design Of
the 1880 silver certificates. These
were rather the fault Of the engraver
than the printer.
On the 1880 notes is found treas
ury seal entirely different from any
other ever used by the government.
The key, which Is one Of the most inn
portant symbols of the seal, shows
handle at the left hand side instead
of to the right, as 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 part In the
design Of a 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, and five dollar silver
certificates and the ten dollar legal
tender bills Of the present issue occur
with what are known as inverted
backs. AS a matter Of fact this Is a
very wrong description, as they are
really inverted fronts, for the backs
of all bills are printed first. These
bills are sought by collectors, who pay
a premium for them when in fine con-
dition.
Another curiosity is one dollar
note of the Second National bank OF
Rayenna, Ohio. This lacks the sig
natures Of both the president and the
cashier, although 1t was circulated
and never challenged.
A one dollar national bank note OF
the First National bank Of Fall River,
Mass, also lacks both signatures,
which seems not to have interfered
with its being offered and accepted
as money. Still another note Of the
First National bank Of Indianapolis,
Ind, lacks the signature Of the pres
idept Only