1954 $1 fake error

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I've seen these mentioned a couple of times before in this forum (during my lurking days) and had the chance to buy one at an auction tonight for a few dollars.

This is a 1954 Beattie/Coyne $1 w/ no serial #'s and a light yellow back.  The note is not in the best of condition and looks to have spent time folded and crammed in a wallet.  Deep down inside, I'd dearly love for the errors to be real, but I don't believe in Santa Claus.  I especially don't believe in a Santa that delivers two major errors on the same note.

Anyway, for all those interested, here's the pics of the note.

1200 dpi, 3071x895, high detail scan of top left of note where serial should be - 880k
300 dpi, 1788x804, entire note - 951k
300 dpi, 600x270, back of note - 48k

LordCo

PS - Great forum, folks.

I've seen a few of these fake missing serial number errors and they all have had the yellow back color.

I new this site is full of fantastic information  .... Great site.
I have a similar 1954 $1.00 bill but with the signatures of Beattie and Rasminsky on it,yellow back and no serial numbers. I will post my pictures. In one of the pictures I seem to see faces in the Queens hair and have circled them.
I really don't know what to make of this bill.
Any info would be appriciated.

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http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/1front.jpg

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http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/1back.jpg

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http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/2faces.jpg
Thanks.

I've seen these mentioned a couple of times before in this forum (during my lurking days) and had the chance to buy one at an auction tonight for a few dollars.

This is a 1954 Beattie/Coyne $1 w/ no serial #'s and a light yellow back.  The note is not in the best of condition and looks to have spent time folded and crammed in a wallet.  Deep down inside, I'd dearly love for the errors to be real, but I don't believe in Santa Claus.  I especially don't believe in a Santa that delivers two major errors on the same note.

Anyway, for all those interested, here's the pics of the note.

1200 dpi, 3071x895, high detail scan of top left of note where serial should be - 880k
300 dpi, 1788x804, entire note - 951k
300 dpi, 600x270, back of note - 48k

LordCo

PS - Great forum, folks.

I know from playing around with some raggedy 1954 $1 bills that I bought for slightly above face value that the red serial numbers can be lifted out fairly easily with household cleaners.  However, I did not achieve a success rate of 100%, meaning I could not get the note to the point of showing no residual indicators of a serial number having been printed.  That does not mean it's not possible, just that I have not found the right method for producing this type of basement error.  Why the back of the "error" notes would be faded and not the front is beyond me.  But any note that cannot be explained is automatically suspicious and not instantly deserving of a premium.  So these $1 notes with the serial number missing are always going to be "fishy" and not worth any premium.

The yellow back could be the product of long-term exposure to chemicals and/or light.  The fading of the serial number could be a by-product of this process, not the actual goal.

Thanks for the info mmars, I got this bill about 45 years ago from a Gulf gas station (when they used to fill your car, wash the windows, check the tires and oil) back then they just kept a wad of cash in their pocket to make change. I removed a water dot or mark from the front of the bill and the paper was white under it so I knew it was real bill.
I could never find anything on it, not that I tried that often in 45 years, but now that I found your site and a couple of other folks who have a similar $1 bill some of the mystery has been answered. I was wondering, have you ever seen any other bill in any denomination with the same thing done to them?
Now that I think about it, this is the longest I ever held on to a buck  … Lol.  :-D

I remember reading in a Q&A section in a numismatic magazine years ago, when someone wrote in asking about a US $1 note with a blue back instead of green. The answer was that the green ink in US notes consisted of a yellow tint and a blue tint, and that it was possible to remove one of the tints with a certain chemical, leaving the other behind. It should never be considered an error.

Thanks Seth.
I did some reading myself this morning, I found in a Q&A that the serial numbers on 1954 bills could be easily removed.
Being a newbie at this and thinking about the answers you have provided it’s beginning to add up. What I can’t figure out are the faces. It took me a while to see them, but now that I have seen them once and pointed them out to others they see it too, you have to look hard but once you spot them you’ll see them every time.
In the small circle it looks to be a ladies face, in the bigger circle a man face with a mustache and small beard.
Hope this $1.00 bill is not making me look like a Loonie. 
Thanks for the info guys.

Hi Vic,

I believe you may be confusing your note for a Devil's Face note.

See here:  http://www.cdnpapermoney.com/English/BoC/1954D.htm

Hi Seth,
Thanks for the Devil's Face note info.
I can see mine is without the Devils Face, so it must be the re-issued  1954 "Modified" Series in 1957.
But .... look at the photo below, I put dots on the lower one so you can see what illusion I see on the photo just above it. Both within the red circles.
Do you see it? 
Anyone else see it?

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http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/facesinhair.jpghttp://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/facesinhair.jpg

Hi Seth,
Thanks for the Devil's Face note info.
I can see mine is without the Devils Face, so it must be the re-issued  1954 "Modified" Series in 1957.
But .... look at the photo below, I put dots on the lower one so you can see what illusion I see on the photo just above it. Both within the red circles.
Do you see it? 
Anyone else see it?

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http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/facesinhair.jpghttp://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/facesinhair.jpg

I kind of see a scowling face in the bigger circle, but we need to see a sharper scan at higher resolution. These pictures are too pixelated and not focused well.

I kind of see a scowling face in the bigger circle, but we need to see a sharper scan at higher resolution. These pictures are too pixelated and not focused well.

Ok this is about as big as I can upload, I see the higher the resolution the illusion begins to change on the $1 ... the small face is gone now and the bigger one has changed.
http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/anothershot.jpg

I found a $20 with the devils face on it.
http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/20DF.jpg

It is very easy to spot, so I see how resolution can give you different illusions.

Thanks guy's this newbie is learning a lot 

I was wondering, have you ever seen any other bill in any denomination with the same thing done to them?

I bought a note with the Serial numbers removed a while back.  It was in similar shape as the note you posted.  There was a very slight yellowish tinge to the entire note which suggested it was exposed to some chemical processing.  I don't recall whether the back was in as poor shape as your note but I'm sure it was in much worse shape then the front.

What gave away the fact that the note had the S/N numbers removed?  If you looked at it from afar you could see where the numbers should have been by the slight fading/abrasion of the microprint (where the numbers should have been).  You see the actual outline of the number because the microprint has also been partially diminished.  What I find fascinating about the notes you have posted is that the microprint seems intact.  

Re: the "Devil's Face"
This was just an optical illusion which made a portion of her hair look like a gothic church "gargoyle" or demon face.  I believe it was adjusted by filling in highlights and evening out the shadows of the queen's hair (demonstrated in the modified images you posted). 

 What I find fascinating about the notes you have posted is that the microprint seems intact.  

Yes that crossed my mind too, how did they get it off with no damage.
here are more shots at a higher resolution.

Front
http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/1fronthigherres.jpg

Back
I just removed a water mark, not sure if I should of done it, but what the heck
and it was white under it. I left the dot on the bill below from where I removed it.

http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s493/vicvick/1backwatermarkremoved.jpg

enjoy.
Vic.