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Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:38 pm
by lmviterbo
Disclaimer: I couldn't find any good thread to put this question. My notes are not suspicious, otherwise Suspicious notes and users might be the right place to ask this.

I've never been a heavy user so I don't usually register a big bunch of notes with serial numbers in a row. But whenever I take a small bunch of fresh new notes from an atm, their serial numbers are in sequence, except that sometimes a number is skipped. I've always thought that might be related to the way notes were handled: at some point, someone filling the cashiers would drop a note than pick it and not put back in the exact same sequence.

Today, however, I have withdrawn 68 fresh new Europa-series :note-5: notes. Out of the 62 who were in the same sequence, three were missing, skipping from, say, U***61...549 to U***61...567, without U***61...558, in one instance, and similarly in the other two instances. Does this mean that those particular missing notes were found imperfect and not put in circulation? Are the skipped serial numbers missing for any other reason? Does anybody know?

Re: Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:53 pm
by klapotec
lmviterbo wrote:Are the skipped serial numbers missing for any other reason? Does anybody know?
They were probably removed for quality testing at the printer - if they pass, they'll presumably end up in circulation separately.

Re: Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:06 pm
by lmviterbo
Thanks, klapotec.

Approximately half of my 68 notes have a vertical black (rubber?) scratch on the white part of the back, coming from the upper edge over the complete serial and going down to almost half the note's height. Horizontally, the scratches are not on a fixed place: they can cross as far left as the serial number's second letter or as far right as the 4th to last digit.

I don't remember seeing this kind of imperfections in old series notes. Of course it could also be a counting machine's fault at Banco de Portugal, where I got them.

Re: Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 5:10 am
by Moise
I just have a bundle of new notes here,where those missing numbers end up,to be specific:My bundle L/U has 12 different printercodes(already had one with 16 different ones)and notes for example ending with 1422 ,1665 etc.So,if youve bad luck,you get one of these bundles and need the same time to enter it,like a used bundle :evil:

Re: Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Mon May 20, 2013 5:28 am
by mizar
I've always asumed that some serials are intentionally missing - inexisting, maybe to further thwart counterfeiting ... but you think this is not the case? An example is the # on POS slips - they are increasing regularly, but first there's a series of odd numbers, than a series of even numbers, etc.

Re: Skipping numbers in series of serial numbers

Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 10:25 pm
by Ewri
I have noticed bigger gaps in series of the new notes, as opposed to the 1st series fivers. We have U/U notes and all my bundles have had the same shortcode all through but I have had big differences in the serial numbers.