HOW TO SPOT FAKE ERROR NOTES 

            HOW TO SPOT A FAKE ERROR NOTE - Bogus bills abound!

A OFFSET OR MULTIPLE PRINT FAKE

B MISSING PRINT & OBSTRUCTED PRINT FAKE

C MISALIGNED / SHIFTED OVERPRINT FAKE

D INK OR SOLVENT SMEAR FAKE

E CUTTING ERROR FAKE - SMALL SIZE NOTES

F CUTTING ERROR FAKE - LARGE SIZE NOTES

                                 ABOUT THIS GUIDE

My goal here is to provide a quick, easy guide to help you avoid getting ripped off. I will cover only the most common scams and tricks con artists use on ebay that effect the greatest number of unsuspecting ebay currency buyers.

I am not going to waste your valuable time going into the reasons, monetary, psychological and other, that brings dishonestly into currency transactions on ebay. It is there, period.

I will not get into the sometimes complicated details of the printing process that results in actual errors on currency from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). That would take hundreds or thousands of pages, too much time, and at times get rather dull and tedious.I not going to use time wasting words to fill space and create a grammatical masterpiece.

You get an outline.

You get bullet points.

You get the important information.

And, you get it now - so let’s get to it!

                   OFFSET PRINT ERRORS and MULTIPLE PRINT ERRORS 

The printing process for legitimate bills will always produce clear images, with lines that are very defined. The face and the eyes of the portrait will always be in high definition. Micro printing on US currency is a security feature that works well in the determination of fakes because the letters and numbers are too small, and the lines are too thin to reproduce using photocopiers and scanners.

* Examine note under magnification (5X or more) - the additional print(s) should be as sharp and detailed as the rest of the print on the note

* If you see what appears to be a dot-matrix type of printing on the note, it is a fake.

* If the details of the additional print are not as crisp & clear as the other print on the note, you are looking at a faked error.

* While offset print errors can range from extremely light printing to extremely dark printing, that is not true of multiple print errors. If there is a noticeable difference in the darkness of the ink between the normal print on the note and the additional printing(s) that comprise the error, odds are the note is not an original BEP error note.

 MISSING PRINT & OBSTRUCTED PRINT FAKE

There are two methods widely used to erase print on a banknote, chemical and abrasive.

* Smell the note. It should not smell like chemicals or household cleaners.

* Check the paper under magnification for surface abrasion and unusual disturbance of the paper in the area of the missing print.

* There should be no sign what-so-ever, not even the faintest, of a print once being there.

* Has the paper developed a “Toning”? Fake.

  MISALIGNED / SHIFTED OVERPRINT FAKE

The intaglio print process used to print US currency causes a “Halo” effect around the seals on the face of the note. This halo effect is nearly impossible to duplicate using any other type of printing process. Inspect misplaced seals under 5X magnification. If a seal does not have that very distinctive halo effect, you can bet the error is not authentic.

* Use magnification to check for the “Halo” around the misplaced seal.

* Check to see if there is any embossing where the misplaced seal is located.

* Smell the note. It should not smell like chemicals or household cleaners.Will only effect one side of the note.

 INK OR SOLVENT SMEARS

* Will only effect one side of the note

* Will not bleed through to the other side of the note.

* With over-inking or large ink smears, you should be able to feel the ink by rubbing your finger gently over the area of the smear.

* Smell the note. It should not smell like chemicals or household cleaners.

* The ink used by the BEP is very distinct and nearly impossible to duplicate. With a little experience you will be able to spot a fake a mile away

 CUTTING ERRORS - SMALL SIZE NOTES

* If the serial number on the note begins with “99” such as F99002234K”, it is a fake.

CUTTING ERRORS - LARGE SIZE NOTES  

* Check that the note is the correct size. Either measure the dimensions of the note, or take a similar note and put the two together to check the size. Suspect any note that is ¼” or more smaller than it should be, as it most probably has been “Trimmed”.

“OneBuckBill”      Error and Rare Currency Depot

Email: currencydepot@aol.com