Is your $2 bill worth $4.5K? Rare bills could be worth beyond printed value (2024)

FAQs

Can a $2 bill be worth thousands? ›

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.)

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.

The most recent edition of the $2 bill was designed in 1963, according to WFLA, which cited information from the U.S. Treasury Department. 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.

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.

“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.

See the dark green numbers on the top-left and top-right corners? They could mean your bill is worth much more than its face value. 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.

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.

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.

2-dollar bills can range in value from two dollars to $1,000 or more. If you have a pre-1913 2-dollar bill in uncirculated condition, it is worth at least $500.

Do they stop making $2 dollar bills? ›

Today, the general public is still largely unfamiliar with the notes because they are not widely circulated and continue to be hoarded. The common misconception that the $2 note is no longer being produced also remains, though $2 notes have been printed since 1862, except for a 10-year hiatus between 1966 and 1976.

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.

The only $2 Federal Reserve Notes that are collectibles are special products consisting of notes not put into circulation and are sold through the B.E.P; also, Series 1976 $2 bills with a canceled stamp are collectibles.