Your $1 and $2 bills could be worth thousands: What to look for (2024)

FAQs

Your $1 and $2 bills could be worth thousands: What to look for? ›

Here are three things to look for on your bills if they are worth more than a dollar: The Series date located near the photograph of George Washington must read “Series 2013” The bill must have a “B” Federal Reserve Seal above the serial number.

What is my $2 bill worth? To find the value of your $2 bill, look at the year and seal color. Bills with red, brown and blue seals from 1862 through 1917 can be worth up to $1,000 or more on the U.S. Currency Auctions website, which bases the value on recent and past paper currency auctions.

The Series date located near the photograph of George Washington must read “Series 2013″ The bill must have a “B” Federal Reserve Seal above the serial number. The serial number must end with a star (*) and fall between B00000001* – B00250000* or B03200001*-B09600000*

However, in 2014, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing made a rare printing error that resulted in millions of $1 bills with duplicate serial numbers entering into circulation, according to PMG, the world's largest third-party paper money grading service.

Serial Number

A unique combination of eleven numbers and letters appears twice on the front of the note. Each note has a unique serial number. The first letter of the serial number corresponds to the series year. A “star” suffix is used to identify notes that serve as replacements during the production process.

Notesnap is perfect to help you put all your foreign and domestic bills together in one place and give you an idea what they could be worth.

If your $2 bill dates back to 1886 and has a red seal with a silver certificate, you're in luck. That bill is worth $4,500. A number of other iterations of the $2 bills with a red seal can also fetch well over a $1,000. Bills with brown seals are also very valuable.

“A serial number '1' for a 1976 $2 bill would be worth $20,000 or more. But [for] a majority of those people holding 1976 $2 bills, they are only worth face value. There are very few that actually exceed face value.” Other high-value serial numbers include what collectors call “solid” or “ladders.”

Although $2 bills are rare to find, if you own one, there's a chance it has a high value. Based on specific factors, some versions of the currency may be worth up to $5,000, per the US Currency Price Guide. FOX 13 Tampa reported that these bills were discontinued by 1966 but brought back 10 years later.

Newer versions with a green seal are likely worth face value, but denominations with a red seal have a higher value. And if you are searching for a $2 bill worth a lot of money, the bill would have to be dated pre-1900, with a "very high graded condition," FOX 13 noted.

What is the most expensive $1 bill? ›

According to Wealthynickel.com, some dollar bills printed in 2014 and 2016 feature a mistake from the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing that could make them worth $150,000 by collectors.

1861 $5 Demand Notes

An 1861 $5 Demand Note produced by the American Bank Note Company using a patented steel plate process sold for $38,400, making it one of the most valuable $5 bills ever. The front of the note has an image of statue representing freedom as well as a portrait of Alexander Hamilton.

Generally, the more unique the serial number on your dollar bill, the more likely it is to be worth more than face value. Some examples of uniqueness include repeating numbers, numbers with a star after them and sequences (such as 12345678).