THE FAMOUSLY MISPRINTED BANKNOTE, DISCOVERED IN AN ATM WITHDRAWAL, BECOMES THE MOST VALUABLE U.S. CURRENCY ERROR EVER SOLD AT AUCTION
By Intelligent Collector Staff
A $20 bill featuring a misplaced Del Monte banana sticker, once withdrawn from an ordinary ATM,
Known widely among collectors as the “Del Monte Note,” the bill drew a frenzy of bidding on Heritage’s HA Live platform. After opening at $210,000, a prolonged battle between internet and phone bidders pushed the final price just shy of $400,000, the highest ever paid for a U.S. currency printing error.
“The Del Monte Note is considered perhaps the most famous of all U.S. error banknotes,” said Dustin Johnston, Vice President of Currency Auctions at Heritage. “Now, it holds the distinction of being the most valuable, too.”
What makes the bill so extraordinary is the precise placement of a Del Monte banana sticker between the second and third stages of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s process. It’s partially overprinted by the Treasury Seal and part of the bill’s serial number, a layering that confirms it occurred mid-production rather than after circulation.
The bill’s notoriety dates back to 2004, when a college student in Ohio discovered it as part of a routine ATM withdrawal. After recognizing its unusual appearance, the student listed it on eBay, where it sold for $10,000. Heritage first offered the note at auction in 2006, when it realized $25,300, a price that already reflected its cult status among error collectors.
Sticker obstructions are rare but not entirely unheard of, with past examples including Band-Aids, bits of tape, and even wood shavings. But none have captured the imagination of the collecting community like this one.
“There’s no telling if the sticker was affixed to test printing standards or simply placed as a prank by a worker,” Johnston said. “Either way, the result is one of the most visually striking and compelling errors ever documented.”
The Del Monte Note’s latest sale not only reinforces its legendary status, but also answers a question more collectors of rare currency are asking: Where’s the best place to sell a once-in-a-lifetime error note? For this consignor — and now its new owner — the answer was Heritage.
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