Have a $2 bill lying around? It could be worth thousands (2024)

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Have a $2 bill lying around? It could be worth thousands? ›

Have any $2 bills lying around? You might want to check because they could be worth thousands. 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.

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. (It later resold for $4,000.)

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.

According to online auction service U.S. Currency Auctions, if the bill was minted and printed before 1976, it could actually be worth as much as $4,500. That eye-popping price also depends on if the bill was uncirculated.

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.

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, according to the U.S. Currency Auctions website. You can find the value of your $2 bill by visiting the U.S. currency price guide.

A newer bill with a green one is likely worth face value. With a red seal, the value generally starts to go up. Age is also a huge factor. If you're looking for a high dollar $2 bill, it would be pre-1900, and it would have to be in a very high condition graded condition," said Pinto.

Generally speaking, a $2 bill is typically worth $2 if it was produced between 1976 and 2013. Even an uncirculated $2 bill won't be worth more than face value if it was printed after 1976.

“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.”

How much is a red seal $2 bill worth? ›

The auction site U.S. Currency Auctions estimates that uncirculated $2 bills from nearly every year up to 1917 are worth at least $1,000. If you've got a $2 bill with a red seal, it can sell for $3 to $2,500.

1963 and 1963A red print two dollar bills are very common. Despite the difference between the A and non-A, both notes are equally common and worth the same amount of money in all grades. You can buy a circulated 1963 red seal two dollar bill any day of the week for around $3.

Most Current $2 bills Are Not Collectible edit

All small-sized $2 United States Notes with a red seal and older large size notes are obsolete and are collectibles.

The Kennedy half dollar coin from pre-1975 is worth between $10 and $1,500+, depending on condition and rarity. The key aspect of the coin that causes the difference in worth is whether the print of Kennedy has "accented hair" above his ear or not.

Though a gold three-dollar coin was produced in the 1800s, and the Bahamian dollar (which is pegged to the US dollar) has a $3 banknote, no three-dollar bill has ever been produced in the United States. Various fake US$3 bills have also been released over time.

Generally, a $2 bill is still worth its face value of $2 as legal tender.

In circulated condition this bill from 2009 will have grown about 85 cents in value. Keep your eyes peeled when you come across these for interesting serial numbers, that does increase the collectability and therefore the value.