Your $2 bills could be worth over $20,000 — here’s how to check (2024)

FAQs

Your $2 bills could be worth over $20,000 — here’s how to check? ›

Serial numbers

If the $2 bill was minted and printed before 1976, it would likely be worth more than its face value on the collectibles market. In some cases, it might be worth only $2.25. The highest value is $4,500 or more for uncirculated notes from 1890, although most of those bills range in value from $550 to $2,500.

Unless it has a unique feature, like a low serial number or misprint, a newer $2 bill likely isn't worth much more than $2, even if it's uncirculated.

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 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.”

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.

Serial numbers are found on the front of U.S. currency and are always printed twice.

Star notes never have a set value—they're only as valuable as other people say they are. That's why the best way to find out the value of yours is to sell the currency on a site like eBay and let other people decide for you in an open auction.

Should I sell my $2 bill? ›

A circulated $2 bill, even if it's from the 1800s, may only be worth a few hundred dollars, the auction service reports. Newer bills, like one printed in 2003, could also have significant value. A $2 bill recently sold at an auction for $2,400, according to Heritage Auction.

While the note is less common, $2 bills are still being printed (108.3 million entered circulation in 2022) and count as legal tender. You can even pick them up at a bank, though it'll likely only feature the design that took to the presses in 1976.

2-dollar bills are still printed and still legal tender. Just spend them in the usual way. Take them to a bank, where you can sell them for a 5 and a 1. You could sell them to a bank or coin store.

Typically a 1953 red seal in this condition would be worth $5-10. However due to being a star note, I would value it around $15-25. You probably know this, but star notes were issued to replace bills that were damaged in production. It is only a small percentage that are replaced.

Because they're still circulating, most $2 bills 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.