Featured Image Credit: Tanja Ivanova via Getty
A mysterious mark has been sitting on US currency for nearly a century and nobody can agree on what it is.
Chances are you've probably never noticed it before, but there's a strange little symbol printed on every US dollar bill. It's not a printing error, nor is it a random blob of ink.
With the internet being the internet, people on Reddit, people have been making their guesses.
"Have you ever noticed that the pattern surrounding the $1 dollar bill looks like a spider’s web? Well, if you look closely you can see the spider that made it," one user posted which started a debate on the forum.
Advert
"You guys should be ashamed. This is the hand in Adam’s Family…" another user joked.
"Not a spider. It’s moloch the owl god they worship," someone else claimed.
Others 'didn't see anything.'
This mysterious symbol has been hiding in plain sight for nearly a century, making its existence even more intriguing without an official explanation. In fact, the US Treasury has never provided any clarification about what it is or why it was included in the design.
The tiny shape in question is minuscule and sits just above the large '1' in the top right corner on the front of the dollar bill. If you're not looking for it specifically, it's easy to miss because it looks like nothing more than a random speck of ink.
But, upon zooming in, the mark appears to have what looks like a round head and small limbs. Currency experts have weighed in with their best guesses.
Ralph Benko, an expert on currency history and chairman of The Capitalist League, weighed in with his guess.
"The unknown engraver who designed the dollar bill took the secret, if there is one, to his grave," he said. "I fancy it as a tiny owl."
Financial institutions like Sunmark Credit Union have listed this mark among the dollar bill's many 'hidden details,' describing it as either an owl or a spider. Meanwhile, YouTubers and amateur investigators have created detailed videos analysing the mark, comparing it to other flourishes on the bill.
But nothing quite matches this odd little shape near the '1'.
Legally, the $1 bill's design hasn't been altered since the 1920s, and by law, it cannot be updated. So, whatever secret or meaning might be embedded in that tiny symbol is permanently part of American currency and has been for nearly 100 years.
