Check Your Wallet: 15 Types of Valuable Paper Money Serial Numbers
Pull any bill out of your wallet. See the dark green numbers on the top-left and top-right corners? Those are serial numbers, and some are more rare than others. If you happen to have paper money with a unique or interesting serial number, it may be worth much more than face value. In fact, collectors are often willing to pay big bucks — hundreds or even thousands of dollars — for rare paper money. Here’s how to decode your paper money.
What Is a Serial Number?
Serial numbers are eight-digit-long codes that are unique to each bill. They are accompanied by other identifying letters and numbers that tell us which series year the bill is from and where it was printed. They are found on the front of U.S. currency and are always printed twice, once in the top right hand corner and again in the bottom left hand corner.
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Series Years
On bills worth $5 and up, each serial number begins with a letter, which tells us the series year of the bill. (On dollar bills and $2 bills, the series year only appears in the bottom right quadrant.) The years are represented by letters A-P as follows: A: 1996, B: 1999, C: 2001, D: 2003, E: 2004, F: 2003A, G: 2004A, H: 2006, I: 2006, J: 2009, K: 2006A, L: 2009A, M: 2013, N: 2017, P: 2017A, Q: 2021.
Federal Reserve Bank Identifier
Each serial number has a letter and number that shows us where the currency was printed. The U.S. Federal Reserve has 12 banks, and each bank has a letter and number combination associated with it. On $5 bills and up, the bank identifier appears separately from the serial number, though the letter also appears next to the series year letter before the actual serial number. On $1 and $2 bills, the letter preceding the serial number will match the bank where the bill was printed (such as K for Dallas) and the number portion of this identifier appears separately on the currency. The identifiers are as follows: A1: Boston, B2: New York City, C3: Philadelphia, D4: Cleveland, E5: Richmond, F6: Atlanta, G7: Chicago, H8: St. Louis, I9: Minneapolis, J10: Kansas City, K11: Dallas, L12: San Francisco.
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15 Types of Valuable Serial Numbers
Want to find out your paper money value by serial numbers? To see if your paper currency is worth more than the $1 or $5 printed, here’s what to look for.
1. Low Serial Number
Collectors love bills with low serial numbers, such as those below 1,000 or 100 (e.g., 00000100). On eBay, these kinds of bills can sell for anywhere from $10 to $300. The lower the serial number, the more valuable the currency is considered to be; a bill with the serial number 00000001 could be worth $15,000, according to SavingAdvice.com.
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2. High Number
People also enjoy collecting currency with high numbers, and these can be even more valuable than lower numbers because there are fewer in circulation. Bills marked with 99999900 and higher are especially prized.
3. Flippers
A flipper is a note whose number can be read right side up or upside down, such as 0069000. Most collectors will want to see a combination of 0s, 6s and 9s on flipper serial numbers, though some may accept flippers with 1s and 8s. On eBay, flippers cost a few bucks up to several hundred dollars.
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4. Star Notes
Some bills have a star instead of a letter at the end of their serial number. Known as star notes, these bills are replacements issued when the original bill had a printing error. Because it’s against policy to produce a dollar’s serial number more than once, the mint simply adds a star to the end. These printing errors aren’t common, so there aren’t many star notes in circulation. You’ll usually see $1 star notes on eBay for $2.99 and up.
5. Repeaters and Super Repeaters
Blocks of repeating digits (such as 27527527) are sought after, with $1 repeaters starting around $3 or $4 on eBay. A two-digit repeating number, like 45454545, is called a super repeater and is even more valuable. Some eBay listings start at a few hundred dollars.
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6. Solids and Near Solids
A solid serial number is one where every digit is the same, like 55555555. Only about one out of every 11 million notes is a solid, and they can be worth $500 or more. Some super-rare ones are listed on eBay for thousands of dollars! Since these notes are so rare, people also collect near-solids, where only one digit differs, like 55555575. These will usually bring in less money than a solid, but you’re more likely to find one.
7. Binary Bills
Binary bills have serial numbers with only two numbers, such as 29299299. A near solid would count as one of these binary notes, since it only includes two numbers. On eBay, some binary notes can go for more than $300, especially if they’re low or high as well.
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8. Trinary Bills
Because of the rarity of binary bills, some collectors even ask for trinary notes, which contain three unique digits in various combinations (e.g. 29329939). Trinary notes typically sell for a few dollars on eBay, though there are some listed for several hundred dollars.
9. Ladders
When the serial number ascends (e.g. 12345678) or descends (e.g. 8765431) in order, collectors call it a ladder. You’ll also find “near ladders” where one or two digits break up the ladder. Ladder notes sell for anywhere from $9 on eBay to as much as $10,000.
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10. Birthdays
Some collectors want notes with a specific year or date in the serial number, perhaps a famous date or one meaningful to them. For example, 02162006 might be valuable to a collector whose child was born Feb. 16, 2006. A serial number that just includes the year is also desirable, such as 10901985 or 10002010.
11. Radars and Super Radars
A radar serial number reads the same backwards and forwards, like a palindrome. For example, 06288260. A good condition, uncirculated $1 radar could sell for about $25 — or even more than $100. If only the end two digits are different (like 27777772), you’ve got a super radar, which is much more rare and valuable. Even a $1 bill with this type of serial number can sell for $129 and up on eBay.
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12. Consecutives
When you have two or more separate notes with consecutive serial numbers, like 25348793 and 25348794, you have one of these series. They’re not uncommon, since you can get consecutive bills at any bank, but can be valuable if they also fit into another category on this list. Consecutives can sell on eBay for as little as a few dollars or as much as a few hundred.
13. Doubles
Doubles occur when a serial number includes pairs of numbers, such as 24459387. The most valuable type is called a quad double, when a serial number has four sets of doubles (e.g. 55998833).
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14. Double Quads
While technically they’re a version of a quad double, notes whose serial numbers consist of two sets of four of the same number are called double quads. (Confusing, isn’t it?) For example, 77776666 is a double quad. These bills are rarer and more valuable.
15. Bookends
When the serial number has the same two or three digits on both ends, it’s called a bookend. Three-number bookends, like 36584365, are more valuable than two-digit bookends, like 36829736. Prices start around $3 for a $1 bookend on eBay.
