Description and research notes
Blank-format experimental note printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing during the 1970s as part of internal testing for the C.O.P.E. (Currency Overprinting and Processing Equipment) program. This machinery represented a major modernization step in U.S. currency production, automating serial numbering, seal application, and sheet cutting for the first time on a fully integrated system.
The note itself carries no engraved design beyond the twin black-ink serials A82432955A applied in standardized placement. Its plain surface was used to monitor ink adhesion, roller alignment, and sequential numbering precision under mechanical feed. Each sheet was passed through experimental overprinting heads simulating real production conditions but without a printed plate image, allowing engineers to isolate calibration variables independent of design complexity.
Unlike Giori test sheets, which evaluated multicolor intaglio registration, C.O.P.E. tests were concerned with downstream finishing: the stage where serial numbers, Treasury seals, and cutting margins were applied to already printed notes. These tests were conducted at the Bureau’s Washington facility as part of preparations for the high-speed numbering and packaging lines introduced later in the decade.
Few examples survived outside official archives, as almost all were destroyed after use. This specimen, preserved in pristine form, provides a direct glimpse into the mechanical evolution of U.S. paper currency manufacturing. Certified PCGS Currency Gem New 65 PPQ, it exhibits bright paper, razor-sharp serial impressions, and full margins—an exceptionally rare survivor from the development phase of America’s first automated currency-processing era.