No, Your $2 Bills Are Not Worth $20,000 (2024)

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No, Your $2 Bills Are Not Worth $20,000? ›

“What we look at is fancy serial numbers,” Johnston said. “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.”

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.

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.

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If you have a $2 bill from the 2003 premium Federal Reserve set of 12, you could get $700 or more. Most $2 bills in circulation are worth exactly that: $2.

Any $2 bill dating back to 1976 that has been in circulation – and any uncirculated versions since 2003 – are worth only their face value, USCA says. Uncirculated bills between 1976 and 2003 range in estimated value from $2.25 to as much as $500.

“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.”

According to MarketWatch, other highly-prized serial numbers include “solids” — when all the numbers are the same, like 2222222222 — and “ladders” — where the serial number is sequential, like 12345678910. Much more collectible are the extra large notes issued before 1918.

U.S. Currency Auctions has estimated that uncirculated $2 bills from 1890 could sell for $4,500. Uncirculated bills from nearly every year after 1862 to 1917 are estimated to be worth $1,000 or more. But newer bills may also carry value.

According to U.S. Currency Auctions, some versions of the $2 bill are valued at nearly $5,000. The company said $2 bills from 1890 with a brown or red seal could sell for up to $4,500. But that's not all. Some newer versions of the $2 bill could also have a higher value.

A quick look at any U.S. banknote will show you a serial number. Those printed before 1995 have serial numbers consisting of eight digits sandwiched between two letters, like A12345678B. Today, only $1 and $2 bills follow this form, according to the Bureau of Engraving & Printing.

What is the rarest dollar bill? ›

Yes. Although you likely won't get $2 bills unless you specifically ask for them, most banks carry a stock of them. The amount of $2 bills each bank carries will vary, but most will have a supply you can ask for when you're taking out or converting money.

Circulated examples of Series 1976 $2 FRNs can be bought for around face value or occasionally found in circulation. Uncirculated examples can bring a dollar or two over face. Serial Number 1 note.

Extremely Low Serial Number

First and foremost, what made this bill exceptional, was an exceptionally low serial number, specifically 00000007 *. In the world of currency collecting, low serial numbers hold a special allure as they signify bills that were among the first few to be printed.

If a serial number's digits are unique or interesting, collectors might be willing to pay big bucks — hundreds or even thousands of dollars — for your bill.

“Oddities that can make currency more valuable include currency that was never circulated, printing mishaps, bills with a serial number consisting of the same digit repeated and high-denomination bills that are no longer printed — $500 and above,” said Todd Stearn, founder and CEO of The Money Manual.