Was this a good investment: The "banana bill" at $25K?

A $20 bill that somehow ended up with an ordinary fruit sticker printed into it sold for $25,300 Friday, an auction company official said.

...just how the fruit tag found its way onto the greenback is unknown. [continued]

I know this story has been circulating a lot and that someone verified the bill prior to auction, but I honestly I think it's a hoax of some kind. How can that sticker be printed on to the bill in a typical printing press? It can't. The sticker could be transferred to the bill because it got stuck in the printing plate but how can that be printed, in a press, without any red or yellow ink? Something just does not look right about it.

I've never quite understood the concept of buying things at auction. Doesn't the entire principle of an auction mean that you've bought something for more than anyone else who wants it is willing to pay for it? Doesn't that mean you paid more than it's worth since the value of collectible things is generally determined by what people are willing to pay for it? I can think of a lot of better things to do with $25,000.

Read the story.

Read the story. It's a DelMonte sticker attached to the bill, but with the seal and serial number printed across the sticker. The sticker somehow got attached to the paper midway through the printing process. This has happened with other foreign matter such as band-aids, scotch tape, etc. The misprints are usually caught before the money goes into circulation.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=333&sid=147431

Read the story. It's a DelMonte sticker attached to the bill, but with the seal and serial number printed across the sticker. The sticker somehow got attached to the paper midway through the printing process. This has happened with other foreign matter such as band-aids, scotch tape, etc. The misprints are usually caught before the money goes into circulation.
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=333&sid=147431

The sticker somehow got attached to the paper midway through the printing process. This has happened with other foreign matter such as band-aids, scotch tape, etc.

p.s money is made from linen not paper moonbear.

pa·per ( P ) Pronunciation Key (ppr)
n.
A material made of cellulose pulp, derived mainly from wood, rags, and certain grasses, processed into flexible sheets or rolls by deposit from an aqueous suspension, and used chiefly for writing, printing, drawing, wrapping, and covering walls.
A single sheet of this material.
One or more sheets of paper bearing writing or printing, especially:
A formal written composition intended to be published, presented, or read aloud; a scholarly essay or treatise.
A piece of written work for school; a report or theme.
An official document, especially one establishing the identity of the bearer. Often used in the plural.
papers A collection of letters, diaries, and other writings, especially by one person: the Madison papers.
Commercial documents that represent value and can be transferred from owner to owner; negotiable instruments considered as a group: “billions more invested in American stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, and other paper” (Christian Science Monitor).
A newspaper.
Wallpaper.
A wrapper made of paper, often with its contents: a paper of pins.
Slang.
A free pass to a theater.
The audience admitted with free passes.

lin·en ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lnn)
n.

Thread made from fibers of the flax plant.
Cloth woven from this thread.
also linens Articles or garments made from linen or a similar cloth, such as cotton; bed sheets and tablecloths.
Paper made from flax fibers or having a linenlike luster.

I'll admit, its a grey area, because they are calling paper anything that you write on, and not making it specific to wood pulp. Linen is made from flax plan, paper is made from wood plup.

I'll admit, its a grey area, because they are calling paper anything that you write on, and not making it specific to wood pulp. Linen is made from flax plan, paper is made from wood plup.