A blank patch or an extra printed image can point to different banknote errors. Here is how blocked ink differs from repeated printing, with two documented $10 examples.
The photograph shows an ordinary bill. It does not show either error described below.
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Ordinary Series 2013 $10 bill, not an error example. Photo: Engin Akyurt / Pexels.
An object can block ink from reaching part of a sheet during printing. When that material falls away, it leaves a blank patch. The rest of that printed design may look normal.
Heritage described this on a Series 1985 $10 note. Something blocked part of its face printing, leaving an uninked sliver. The note was graded PCGS 66 PPQ. It sold for $180 on December 30, 2020. That result belongs to that specimen, not every bill with missing ink.
A blank area alone does not tell you what happened. A gutter fold can also leave an unprinted gap. Look at both sides and the paper itself before naming an error.
A doubled print repeats part of the same design. A tripled print adds two extra impressions. The repeated details may be faint or partly overlap. This differs from an offset, which transfers a mirror image from the other side.
One Series 1988A Boston $10 has two extra back impressions. Heritage recorded it as PMG 63, with a small red ink stain along the top edge. The stain is a separate condition detail. It is not what makes the note a printing error. No sale price is quoted here.
Record which side and which design details are affected. Extra back printing is different from doubled seals or serial numbers. A star or series date alone is not an error.
Added printing can imitate a genuine mistake. These clues help describe a note; they do not authenticate it. Keep the bill as found. Do not wash, press, trim or peel material from it. Ask a qualified banknote examiner about an uncertain find.
Keep the complete assigned grade with a specimen record. Read what banknote grades mean, or return to the short $10 bill error list.
