Okay I have a question. I have a 20 dollar bill (don’t remember if it’s old or new) but apparently when they stamped the round black seal (just left of the fact on the front of the bill with the name of the state it was printed in on it) the Bill must have been folded over a little. So the stamp has a gap in it about a 1/4 inch. Would this be worth any thing (I mean over $20)
Formerly known as Nec3f on the AOL SDMB
Are you sure it’s genuine currency?
yup. I checked with one of those conterfeit markers.
Formerly known as Nec3f on the AOL SDMB
A rare coins dealer should be able to tell you.
Joey, take note: the “conter-counterfeit” markers DO NOT work, AFAIK.
I’ll check the reference for you, and let you know.
The markers contain a solution of iodine, which turns black when in contact with starch. US currency paper has little starch, so the iodine mark should stay light-colored. If it turns black instead, the bill is on a the wrong kind of paper, and is therefore counterfeit.
The problem is that starchless paper is not hard to obtain. Rice paper, for instance, can be gotten at many art shops. So any pro counterfeiter can print bills that pass the marker test.
Now that the $20 bill has been changed, there are easier and more certain ways of distinguishing good money from bad. As the older bills are taken out of circulation, I expect the “money markers” to vanish with them.
Of course I don’t fit in; I’m part of a better puzzle.
BTW, the website for the US Secret Service explains how you should really check for counterfeit bills.
Mis-printed bills, while rare, do make it into circulation. I had a $20 bill with a major “printed fold” error that I sold for $250. That particular bill had one corner folded after the back was printed, but before the front. As a result, one corner of the front of the bill was balnk and the reverse contained the ink from both prints. The error extended well into the portrait. From your description it does not sound like a printed fold, but more like a case of foreign material getting on the paper during the printing process. If the only error is a gap in the seal, then I doubt the bill would bring much of a premium, if any.
Error bills are only worth something to a collector, and collectors of “freak” currency are few and far between. In order to get the kind of exposure necessary to bring a lare premium, I had to list my bill, with photo, on a large on-line auction.
The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik
That’s what I wanted to do but how can I list it and find out how much people would pay for it without actually selling it. Also it definalty was a fold. In fact the bill still has the crese in it.
Formerly known as Nec3f on the AOL SDMB
Go to EBay, and check out the idea of a “reserve” auction. This allows you to set a price that you won’t sell it below, but allows the bidding to start lower than. That way you can get a feel for what those bidders are willing to pay. But if they do meet your “reserve” price, you will have to give it to the highest bidder.
I have a misprinted penny. Looks like the stamp was off center. Is that worth more than a cent?