Hi All,
I recently saw a scan of a 1954 $1 banknote that was alleged to be an error asterisk note. The prefix was S/M and there was what appeared at first glance to be an asterisk in front of one of the serial numbers, but not the other. The "error" part comes from the allegation that this note is a *S/M note that is missing one of its asterisks.
Right off the bat, one should clue in to the fact that there has never before been an *S/M note seen by the numismatic community. At least not one that has been proven to be authentic. One would expect that if this is to be another of those "single-sheet" replacement notes, then the number would end in 000, 500, 499 or 999, which it does not. (The actual last 3 digits are 091)
See the attached image.The bottom part is an authentic *A/A 1954M $1 note.
The centre part is the alleged *S/M 1954M $1 note.
The top part is a Series 2004 U.S.A. $20 E-* note.
Upon closer inspection, the asterisk appears quite different than all the other asterisks used on 1954 notes. The colour is different: The alleged asterisk is more pink than the authentic red. The orientation of the asterisk is wrong. All 1954 asterisks were oriented such that they had a vertical set of points, as seen in the *A/A note I included for reference. (Note: those keen CPMS members among the audience might dispute this, but the mention of asterisk orientation on p116 of the Dec 2004 CPMS Newsletter applies only to 1969-1975 notes.) Further, if you look closely, there appears to be a "hole" or blank area at the very centre of the alleged asterisk. In the authentic asterisk, the centre is very much filled in. As well, the authentic asterisk has "balls" or circular dots at the ends of its 6 points. The alleged asterisk appears to have sharp points.
One might say that this alleged asterisk is more like a 6-pointed star from the U.S.A. star notes than it is like a Canadian 1954 asterisk. (Compare top two images in attached graphic).
I have emailed the current owner of this note pointing out these discrepancies and the reply was as follows:
I have had several Canadian bank note specialists look at this note. Their opinion has been that the asterisk was out of position and the print wheel had very little pressure against the paper. This results in a lighter asterisk without full printing, particularly at the centre, and is logical to be on a regular issue note. They all felt the note was genuine, and I have had two offers from Canadian dealers above $500. I think the note is worth significantly more, and I will let the market decide.
I'm not satisfied with that response and I am sticking firm to my original opinions that this may be a "manufactured" error. However, I make no attempt to identify WHO did this. I only go so far as to allege WHAT I think it is.
What are your thoughts on the subject?
NOTE: If you reply to this thread and you know anything about the current owner of the note, or where you may have seen this note or a note that may be similar, please DO NOT divulge that information. This discussion is about the discrepancies regarding the asterisk, and not about the owner. Any posts outside the scope of this discussion will be ruthlessly removed. Thanks!
