Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
CURIOUS BANK NOTES.
Extraordinary Misprints and Other
Defects and Their Results.
rom the Youths Companion

From the Youths Companion.
Occasionally an imperfect or misprinted
bank note will evade the vigilance of the
inspectors Of the bureau of engraving
and printing. The most extraordinary
misprint that ever found it's way into
circulation was a fifty-dollar national
bank note. A clerk I'm a western hotel
in making UP his accounts, found a dis
crepancy that could not be explained.
He placed the pile of bills at his left
hand. and as he counted each one, turned
the note over and put it on pile at his
right. He discovered that when he
counted from left to right his cash bal
anced exactly. but that when he counted
from right to left there was a shortage
Of $50. The clerk spent more than two
hours i'm trying to find out what was the
matter. Finally, in desperation. he called
upon the cashier for assistance The
cashier had no better success. Again and
again he counted the bills, with the same
result-one time the cash would balance,
and the next time IL would show a short
age. Finally. he examined each BILL both
face and back-whereupon the mystery
was explained. One of the bills bore the
design of $50 on the face and that Of
S1OO on the back. The clerk had taken
the bill for 500.
Upon corresponding with the Treasury
Department, they found that the depart
ment had a record Of the bill. In 1870 one
sheet of bank notes for a national bank
in Kansas City had been reversed in the
press. One plate bore the diverse of a
6fty-dollar bill at the top and the diverse
of a OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES bill at the bot
tom. The other plate bore the reverse Of
the two notes. AS each sheet was printed
1t had been laid aside to dry before being
run through for the reverse printing. In
advertently the pressman had turned one
sheet upside down, with the result that
two misprinted bills came forth-one with
a fifty-dOllar face and one-hundred- dol
lar back. and the other with a hundred
dollar face and a fifty-dollar back. The
cashier OF the bank had been 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 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES back, by
coming across one with the one-hundred-
dollar face and the fifty-dollar back. This
note was returned to the Treasury and
destroyed, and a perfect one issued I'm its
stead.
On the 1880 notes is found a Treasury
seal entirely different from any other
ever used by the government. The key,
which is one OF the most important sym
bolS of the SEAL. shows q handle at the
left-hand side, instead of at the right,
as on all others. The shield is of diff
ferent 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 forms a part
Of the design of Treasury seal: This Is
the only issue of notes on which the
peculiar seal was used, and collectors OF
paper money include them among the
freaks.
Another curiosity is a one-dollar note |
Of the Second National Bank of Ravenna. |
Ohio. II lacks the signatures Of the
president and the cashier, although II