Rare 100 Dollar Bill: Which $100 Notes Are Worth Money

A $100 bill is worth more than face when it is a large-size note (printed before the 1928 series), a gold certificate, a red-seal United States Note from Series 1966 or 1966A, a star note from a small print run, a note with a fancy serial number, or an old note in uncirculated condition. Everything else, including almost every $100 printed since Series 1996, is worth $100 to about $120 (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026). Check in this order:

• Seal colour: gold means a gold certificate, red on a small note means a 1966 or 1966A United States Note, green means an ordinary Federal Reserve Note.
• Size: notes from before Series 1928 are noticeably larger; all U.S. currency was changed to the current size in 1929 (Wikipedia).
• Series year: printed on the front near the portrait.
• Star: a star next to the serial number marks a replacement note; see the star section below.
• Serial number: patterns like 00000001, solid digits or radars can add value; test yours with the serial number checker.
• Condition: a note folded even once is no longer uncirculated, and that alone can halve the price.

Circulated (Fine to Extremely Fine), then uncirculated:

• 1882 gold certificate, brown seal: $300,000+
• 1890 and 1891 Treasury Notes: $50,000–$100,000+
• 1862 to 1880 United States Notes: $4,000–$25,000; $15,000–$45,000+
• 1914 Federal Reserve Note, red seal: $3,500–$8,000+; $20,000+
• 1914 Federal Reserve Note, blue seal: $1,000–$2,500+; $6,000+
• 1922 gold certificate: $1,600–$4,000; $6,000+
• 1928 gold certificate: $900–$2,500; $5,000+
• 1928 and 1928A Federal Reserve Notes: $145–$190; $375–$400+
• 1929 National Currency, brown seal: $130–$175; $350+
• 1934 to 1934D: $125–$175; $225–$400+
• 1950 to 1950D: $115–$140; $175+ (1950E $125–$185+; $300+)
• 1963A: $110–$130; $170+
• 1966 United States Note, red seal: $155–$350; $700+
• 1966A United States Note, red seal: $200–$400; $1,200+
• 1969 to 1977: $130–$135; $150–$165
• 1981 to 1993: $115–$125; $140–$145
• 1996 to 2003A: $105–$110; $115–$135
• 2006 and 2006A: $120; $135
• 2009: $105; $115 (2009A $102; $105)
• 2013 to 2025: $100; $100–$105

Series 1966 was the first and only small-size $100 United States Note, with a red seal and red serial numbers; $100 United States Notes were last printed in 1969 and last issued in 1971 (Wikipedia). That short run is why a worn 1966 note lists at $155–$350 and a 1966A at $200–$400, while a green-seal $100 from the same years lists at about $130 (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026). If your $100 has a red seal and small size, it is one of these two series; the series letter after 1966 tells you which.

A star in the serial number marks a replacement note. US Currency Auctions (viewed September 25, 2026) lists these $100 stars, circulated then uncirculated:

• 1966 United States Note: $300–$800; $1,800+
• 1966A United States Note: $375–$900; $2,000+
• 1981 Richmond: $200–$375; $1,000+
• 1963A to 1985 Federal Reserve Notes: $130–$200; $200–$250+
• 1988 to 2006A: $120–$145; $150–$160+
• 2009 to 2025: $105–$125; $115–$130

On modern notes the print run matters more than the star itself: My Currency Collection says collectors generally treat stars from runs of 640,000 notes or fewer as rare enough to be worth more than face. See star notes explained.

• Since 1914: Benjamin Franklin has been on every $100 Federal Reserve Note (Wikipedia; US Currency Auctions).
• Series 1990: microprinting around the portrait and a security strip on the left were added (Wikipedia).
• Series 1996: a Franklin watermark on the right and ink that shifts from green to black; issued March 25, 1996 (Wikipedia).
• Series 2009 onward: blue 3D security ribbon and a bell inside the inkwell; announced April 21, 2010 but not in circulation until October 8, 2013 because of printing problems (Wikipedia).

The design tells you the era, not the value: a 1996-design note in circulated condition lists $105–$110 (US Currency Auctions).

These are the years people ask about most, and none of them is rare. US Currency Auctions (viewed September 25, 2026) lists Series 1985 at $120 circulated and $140 uncirculated, Series 2006 and 2006A at $120 and $135, and Series 2009 at $105 and $115. A dealer's buying price will be lower than these guide figures. The exceptions are the same as for any year: a star from a small run, a fancy serial number, or an error.

One million dollars in $100 bills is 10,000 notes, or 100 bundles of 100. Each note weighs about 1.0 gram (Wikipedia), so the whole amount weighs roughly 10 kilograms, about 22 pounds.

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.