PORT TOWNSEND — At a glance, a 1957 one dollar silver certificate looks just like a dollar bill.
Perhaps that’s why a burglar took 100 of the silver certificates from a home in the 1700 block of Holcomb Street in Port Townsend on Sunday.
And why someone is spending them in local shops as though they were standard currency.
“It looked like somebody was trying to convert the silver certificates into cash,” said Port Townsend Police Detective Mike Evans.
Differences
One difference between a silver certificate and a paper dollar bill is in the ink.
A dollar bill has green ink on the serial numbers and a seal on its face.
The silver certificate uses blue ink.
The composition and design are the same and George Washington’s face is placed in the center of both.
Another difference is in the value.
A dollar bill is worth, well $1, while a one-dollar silver certificate can be worth from $5 to $20, according to various Internet auctions.
Shop owner calls police
A shop owner in downtown Port Townsend noticed that 20 of the silver certificates were used to purchase merchandise on Monday and called the Port Townsend Police Department.
Evans said the shop owner described the person who passed the silver certificates as a 15- or 16-year-old male with sandy blond hair, standing about 5-feet-5 inches tall.
Evans said that in addition to the 100 certificates, an assortment of rare coins also were taken from the home.
Evans estimated that the total value of all that was taken amounts to more than $6,000.
Evans said the silver certificates were crisp at the time they were stolen, and that police have their serial numbers.
