Currency collectors are passionate about finding uncommon bills, and misprints are among the most expensive treasures.
While misprints on dollar bills are infrequent, they might happen due to human or mechanical error.
When a mistake occurs, the bills often attain enormous value. Some of these uncommon misprinted dollar bills are worth more than $1,000, and a couple can go for six figures!
Arguably, one of the most recognizable misprints is from the 2013B $1 star note series. Because of an internal printing fault occurring at the same time in both Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. facilities.
In 1974, a batch of $1 notes were manufactured with inverted overprints, which showed the Federal Reserve seal and serial numbers printed upside down.
A 1934 $10 silver certificate with mismatched serial numbers, which is an exceptionally rare defect. The banknote reads *00000055A on one side and *00000051A on the other.
The 1882 Brown/Black Double Denomination National Bank Note is among the most valuable misprints ever unearthed.
Foldover mistakes occur when the bill is folded during the printing process, leaving part of the bill blank and the other misaligned.
Miscut mistakes occur when bills are cut incorrectly, resulting in off-center or incomplete designs. The 2004 $20 bill with the misprint sold for nearly $1,200 due to its rarity and demand among collectors.
Another instance of a mismatched serial number mistake happened in 1981, using a $10 bill.
Star notes are replacement banknotes that are issued when original bills are destroyed during production. In 1950, a rare star note error happened with a $100 bill, which today trade for up to $1,500 at auction.
Collectors are particularly interested in overlapping print faults. A 2003 $2 bill featuring a mistake where part of the design is printed on top of another area sold for almost $1,200 at an auction.