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Originally Posted by JM  So they are! I just checked the NCV chip I got recently to the sample set I got when they first came out and sure enough the detail on the geisha is almost non-existent! I wonder what is up with this. |
I think it's supposed to be an improvement. If I'm not mistaken (and I could very well be), the old inlays were printed in black & white, and made grey by doing a cross-hatched "mesh" pattern. The new labels are printed in grey-scale (with grey ink, in addition to black). The most noticeable effects of this are that the greys appear much lighter, and the
moiré pattern is eliminated - both of which most Samurai fans actually liked... So anybody with the "old dark" inlays are frantically trying to complete sets rather than settle for a mix of new and old.
On top of this, there are lots of other variations in the Samurai chips. The most obvious are the base colour and "false spots" in the $1000, and various purples used in the $500 (need artificial lighting to see it). Just before the new inlays were released, there was a batch of $5s, $25s, and $5000s where the "wine" (maroon?) spot colour was nearly black - I have a few of those in my "spare rack"...
These variations have sort of made Samurais more collectible, as it has become quite a challenge to get a self-consistent set. The easiest way would be to just buy all you'll ever need direct from HPC all at once, especially now that the new batch (with lighter - albeit very round and well-centred - inlays, and featuring the uber-dark spots on the $5, $25, and $5000) is all that's being sold.
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