Old Bills Worth Money: How to Check Old Paper Money

An old U.S. bill is worth money when it is large-size (printed before the 1928 series), has a gold, brown or yellow seal, belongs to a scarce series or bank, carries a star from a small run or a fancy serial number, or is in crisp uncirculated condition. Old alone is not enough: a worn 1957 $1 silver certificate lists $2.25–$3 and a worn 1950 $5 lists $6–$10 (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026). Work through five checks:

• Size: large-size notes are visibly bigger; all U.S. currency changed to today's size in 1929 (Wikipedia).
• Seal colour: see the decoder below.
• Series year and letter: printed on the front near the portrait.
• Serial number: look for a star and for patterns such as 12345678 or 88888888; try the serial number checker.
• Condition: PGS Gold & Coin (February 12, 2026) calls condition the single most important factor, and warns against cleaning or altering a note.

• Green: Federal Reserve Note, the common modern type (PGS Gold & Coin).
• Blue: silver certificate, issued 1878 to 1964 (Wikipedia); some large-size 1913 and 1914 Federal Reserve Notes are also blue (US Currency Auctions). See blue seal dollar bills.
• Red: United States Note (legal tender note), such as the small-size $1 of 1928, $2 of 1928 to 1963, $5 of 1928 to 1963 and $100 of 1966 (US Currency Auctions).
• Gold: gold certificate, which PGS Gold & Coin calls exceptionally rare to find today.
• Brown with HAWAII overprinted: a World War II issue for Hawaii, ordered June 8, 1942 (Wikipedia).
• Bright yellow: a World War II issue for North Africa and Europe, November 1942 (Wikipedia).
• Brown on a note naming a local bank: National Currency; for example 1929 $5 National Currency lists $30–$200 circulated (US Currency Auctions).

Circulated values from US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026:

• 1882 $100 gold certificate, brown seal: $300,000+
• 1890 and 1891 $100 Treasury Notes: $50,000–$100,000+
• 1914 $100 Federal Reserve Note, red seal: $3,500–$8,000+
• 1861 $5 Demand Note: $1,350–$3,500
• 1896 $5 Educational silver certificate: $775–$2,300
• 1890 $2 Treasury Note: $550–$2,500
• 1896 $2 Educational silver certificate: $300–$1,100
• 1890 $1 Treasury Note: $375–$1,100
• 1928 $100 gold certificate: $900–$2,500
• 1928E $1 silver certificate: $300–$700+
• 1928D $5 Federal Reserve Note: $400–$1,000
• 1966 $100 United States Note, red seal: $155–$350

And old bills that are usually worth little: 1935B to 1957B $1 silver certificates ($1.50–$7), 1953 to 1963 $2 red seals ($2.25–$6.50), and 1950 to 1970s $5 Federal Reserve Notes ($6–$15).

No single ordinary $1 series lists at $150,000 in the guides we checked. JM Bullion uses $150,000 as the top of its range for misprinted bills, meaning dramatic printing errors; the highest small-size $1 in Greysheet (September 25, 2026) is the 1928D silver certificate star at up to $100,000 in top grade. The $20,000 $2 bill is a top-grade 1928 red-seal star: Greysheet ranges the 1928B $2 star at $7,500–$20,000 and the 1928E star at $1,200–$19,000. Both are exceptional notes in exceptional condition, not typical finds.

• Start with a dated price guide for your denomination and series; guide prices are averages of past auction results (US Currency Auctions), and a dealer buying from you will pay less.
• Do not clean, press, tape or flatten the note; PGS Gold & Coin notes that even minor damage cuts the value substantially.
• Store it flat in an archival sleeve until you decide; see how to store banknotes.
• Get high-value notes graded: PGS Gold & Coin points to professional graders such as PMG and auction houses such as Heritage for notes that may be worth hundreds or more.
• Scan it first: NoteLens reads the denomination, series and serial number from a photo, and there are free scans every day.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Prices are copied from the named price guide or dealer page with the date we viewed it; where a figure could not be confirmed we say so rather than estimate. Guide prices are reference points, not offers: a dealer buying your note will usually pay less. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.