Description and research notes
This 1988A 10 Dollars Federal Reserve Note from the Philadelphia District (Friedberg 2028-C, CA Block) exhibits a major Insufficient Inking Error across its face printing. The left and right '10' denomination medallions, top border inscriptions, and parts of the ornamental scrollwork show extreme fading, with many engraved lines barely visible. The green Treasury seal and serial numbers remain sharp and fully inked, confirming that the fault occurred during the black intaglio printing pass, prior to the overprint stage.
Insufficient Inking Errors occur when the BEP intaglio press fails to deliver a consistent charge of ink to the printing plate. On multi-color notes like this one, such failures most commonly affect the black face impression, where detailed engraved lines require precise ink density to reproduce depth and tone. When the ink film thins prematurely, sections of the plate transfer only partial images, leaving light gray ghosting instead of crisp intaglio relief.
Certified PMG 64 EPQ Choice Uncirculated, this note demonstrates both exceptional paper quality and a perfectly preserved example of the printing fault. The weakness in the title arc and numerals provides a clear teaching reference for distinguishing true Insufficient Inking from press wiping or over-wipe streaks. Its originality and lack of handling ensure that every microscopic detail of the error can be studied without interference from wear.
Among late-1980s Federal Reserve issues, major Insufficient Inking Errors of this magnitude are seldom encountered. This Philadelphia note stands as a key visual study of BEP quality-control breakdowns during an era of mass modernization in U.S. currency printing, making it a valuable research and display specimen for both error specialists and collectors of modern production anomalies.