Error Note Chronicles: Mismatched Serial Number Error

Paper Money Guaranty® (PMG®) is the world’s leading authority on banknote errors, a popular segment of numismatics. In Error Note Chronicles, we take an in-depth look at different errors. This month’s topic is the Mismatched Serial Number Error.

Banknotes typically have two serial numbers. A mismatch in these numbers can occur by manual error or mechincal error. Under a manual error, the person operating the printing equipment fails to set the same sequence on both number wheels before printing begins. When Mismatched Serial Numbers have the discrepancy near the beginning of the number, this is due to manual error. An example is the G55/54 error seen here.

A 1957 $1 Silver Certificate graded PMG 58 Choice About Unc EPQ with a Mismatched Serial Number Error. Click images to enlarge.

The G55/54 error represents a well-known group of notes with a Mismatched Serial Number Error. These 1957 $1 Silver Certificates entered commerce in Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1963, a year before Silver Certificates were phased out. (This particular note is part of a Heritage Auctions sale in March 2022.)

When the mismatch occurs at the end of the serial number, that is often a mechanical error. This happens when one of the numbering machines gets stuck on a number and fails to advance properly. This 1963 $1 Federal Reserve Note (New York) has a Mismatched Serial Number Error where the difference between the number is 1: B57476899A vs. B57476900A. (This note is part of a Stack's Bowers auction in April 2022, with an estimate of $1,000 to $1,500.)

1963 $1 Federal Reserve Note (New York) graded PMG 67 Superb Gem Unc EPQ with a Mismatched Serial Number Error. Click images to enlarge.

Mismatched Serial Numbers near the end of the number can also be a result of manual error. That seems to be the case with these two 1935A $1 Silver Certificates, which PMG encapsulated together. The first note has the Mismatched Serial Number Error: T30211030C and T30211060C, a difference of 30. With manual errors, it is usually not possible to know which number was set incorrectly. However, the second note here has the same serial number as the one appearing on the right side of the error note. (This note is also part of the Stack's Bowers auction in April 2022, with an estimate of $1,000 to $1,500.)

A 1935A $1 Silver Certificate graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ with a Mismatched Serial Number Error (top) encapsulated with a 1935A $1 Silver Certificate graded PMG 65 Gem Uncirculated EPQ that shares a serial number with one of the numbers on the error note. Click images to enlarge.

Mismatched Serial Number Errors can also occur on world paper money, such as the Canada 2004-07 $20 shown below. This particular note sold for $312 at a Heritage Auctions sale in October 2021.

Canada, Bank of Canada 2004-07 $20 graded PMG 25 Very Fine, with a Mismatched Serial Number Error Click images to enlarge.

PMG, an independent member of the Certified Collectibles Group® (CCG®), has certified many exciting error notes, including the famous “Del Monte” error note that realized $396,000 in a January 2021 sale.

Collectors and dealers who have error notes can submit them to PMG for certification under an applicable grading tier with “error” or the specific error noted under the Variety/Pedigree column on the submission form. There is no additional fee for this service.

For more information about submitting to PMG, visit PMGnotes.com.

Related Links:

• Error Note Chronicles: Offset Printing Error
• Error Note Chronicles: Insufficient Inking
• Error Note Chronicles: Inverted Back
• Error Note Chronicles: Printed Fold Error
• Error Note Chronicles: The PCBLIC Error
• Error Note Chronicles: Misalignment Errors
• Error Note Chronicles: Obstructed Printing Errors
• Error Note Chronicles: Inverted Overprint Errors
• Error Is Human: Part I
• Error Is Human: Part II