Modified Fed Seals

Some Series 2006 and 2009 $1 notes on the St. Louis district have recently been discovered to exhibit a modified Federal Reserve Bank seal. The new seal is characterised by a lighter font weight for the large 'H' representing the St. Louis FRB, and also by a bolder, but slightly smaller and more widely spaced, font for all of the white text in the outer rings of the seal.

Old St. Louis Fed seal

New St. Louis Fed seal

Note again that the style and spacing of the white text has changed, so this is not simply a case of heavier vs. lighter inking of the seal.

At present, it appears that all St. Louis-district $1's up through serial H 576 00000 C of Series 2006 carry the old, bold-'H' seal, while all later St. Louis $1's carry the new seal with the thinner 'H'. If any exceptions can be found, they would be of interest.

It is not clear why these varieties exist, nor whether all other districts' seals are (or will be) affected. A thin 'D' seal has been reported, but the difference is not nearly as pronounced as with the thin 'H'.

Any information regarding these varieties would be appreciated; please report series and serial numbers to webmaster@uspapermoney.info. If you find a difference in any other district's Fed seals, please send large, clear images. Extremely subtle differences are likely the result of varying strength of inking; the changes of interest here should be clear and consistent across many notes. With a larger population of recorded serial numbers, patterns may begin to appear that would shed some light on the cause and duration of these differences. Thanks for your assistance!