1954 $2 Bowey Rasminsky - BADLY smudged serial - (not DevilHead)

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

This otherwise unremarkable bill has a seriously smudged serial.

I'm curious if it has any value or if there is an explanation for the cause of the error.

Thanks in advance!



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Serial number ink can be removed with certain common household cleaners.  It looks like some of it got spilled on this note.  It's a neat conversation piece, but not worth more than face value.

Seth - is that really the only possible explanation for this error?

Would a household cleaner hypothesis also account for the condition of the back face of the note?

Is there anything that could happen prior to circulation that would explain the errors on both faces?

I am not doubting your explanation and I certainly do appreciate you taking the time to give it, but I am curious.

Thanks again!

If I am not mistaken serial numbers are printed separate so it may be possible they had an inking problem, that would explain the ink on the back of the note.

My hypothesis is that something spilled on several notes, smudging the serial numbers and imparting red ink from one note onto the next and so on.