TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — How much is a dollar bill worth? Just $1, or more? For rare currency collectors, it’s a broad question, and for one type of U.S. banknote, it’s even broader.
The $2 bill, first printed in 1862, is hard to find due to its lack of use. There have been several editions of the $2 bill, with the most recent version designed in 1963, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
While not commonly used in payments, depending on which version of the bill you’ve got, it could be worth far more than just the $2 printed on the front and back.
According to U.S. Currency Auctions, if the bill was minted and printed before 1976, when the most recent printing started, the bill could actually be worth as much as $4,500. However, even with notes printed in the same year, different versions have different values for collectors.
Even an original print of the $2 bill from 1862 can range in value from $500 at its lowest for a circulated note, to more than $2,800 uncirculated.
The highest value for a $2 note is found on 1890 Treasury Note versions, with the circulated version worth between $550 and $2,500, or worth $4,500 or more if uncirculated. The collector value is the same for both versions of the 1890 bill, either with a brown seal, or a red one.
The note with the most value after that is an 1869 U.S. note, which is typically worth between $500 and $1,200 if circulated and as much as $3,800 if not, according to USCA.
Depending on which version of the $2 bill you’ve got on hand, in a wallet, or kept in a safety deposit box, it’ll feature a portrait of America’s first Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton.
After a redesign in 1869, the portrait changed to Thomas Jefferson, another founding Father and the third President of the United States, according to the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Even though the print is less common, $2 bills are still used and made, and still count as legal tender. You can even pick them up at a bank, though it’ll only be the version that took to the presses in 1976.
