Rare 5 Dollar Bills: Which $5 Notes Are Worth Money

A $5 bill is rare when it is a large-size note, a 1928C or 1928D green-seal note, a 1934 HAWAII or North Africa wartime issue, a 1993 Minneapolis note, a star from a small print run, or a note with a fancy serial number. Most $5 bills from 1950 onward, including red-seal and blue-seal notes, list at $5–$15 circulated (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026). Check the seal colour, the series year and letter beside Lincoln's portrait, the bank letter, the serial number, and whether the note has been folded.

Large-size notes, circulated then uncirculated (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026):

• 1861 Demand Note: $1,350–$3,500
• 1870–74 National Gold Bank Note: $1,000–$8,750
• 1896 Educational silver certificate: $775–$2,300; $5,900+
• 1886 silver certificate (red or brown seal): $550–$2,250; $2,900+
• 1890 Treasury Note: $400–$1,600; $2,500+
• 1918 National Currency: $825–$1,325; $2,500+
• 1899 silver certificate, blue seal: $400–$750; $1,500+
• 1923 silver certificate: $325–$800; $1,500+

Auction records are far higher than guide prices. LoveToKnow (published on Yahoo, April 2, 2025) reports an 1890 $5 Treasury Note (Fr. 360) sold for $282,000 in 2013 and says only 14 are known of the 300,000 printed; it also lists an 1861 "for the" Demand Note at $138,000 (2007) and an 1861 St. Louis Demand Note at $81,000 (2018).

Circulated, then uncirculated (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026):

• 1928D Federal Reserve Note: $400–$1,000; $2,500+
• 1928C Federal Reserve Note: $200–$650; $1,900+
• 1993 Minneapolis: $85–$185; $375+
• 1934 and 1934A HAWAII, brown seal: $25–$90; $550+
• 1934A North Africa, yellow seal: $20–$60; $250+
• 1999 BEP Premium Set: $375 uncirculated

The ordinary red seals (1928 to 1963 United States Notes) and blue seals (1934 and 1953 silver certificates) mostly list at $6–$15 circulated, with 1928D red seal and 1934B blue seal a little higher uncirculated. The big money in these types is in their star notes, below.

Modern Federal Reserve stars, circulated then uncirculated (US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026):

• 1988A Minneapolis: $400–$600; $1,000+
• 1981 Minneapolis: $125–$400; $1,000+
• 1977A Richmond: $135–$175; $285+
• 1969B: $25–$55; $80+
• 1999 to 2021: $6–$20; $10–$25+

Older red-seal and blue-seal stars, worn to top grade (Greysheet, September 25, 2026):

• 1928 United States Note star: $80–$18,000
• 1928A United States Note star: $250–$10,000
• 1928D United States Note star: $375–$5,500
• 1953B silver certificate star: $400–$17,000
• 1934D Narrow silver certificate star: $900 (single figure given)

For modern stars, the run size decides the premium; My Currency Collection treats runs of 640,000 or fewer as generally scarce. See star notes explained.

Nothing about the series itself: US Currency Auctions (viewed September 25, 2026) lists Series 1995 $5 at $7–$11 circulated and $15+ uncirculated. A 1995 $5 is worth more only if it is uncirculated, has a fancy serial number (check it with the serial number checker), is a star from a small run, or has a genuine printing error.

• Note the seal colour: red is a United States Note, blue a silver certificate, brown with HAWAII or yellow a wartime issue, green a Federal Reserve Note.
• Read the series year and letter, and on green-seal notes the Federal Reserve Bank letter; see bank letters A to L.
• Look for a star before or after the serial number and for a fancy pattern.
• Judge condition: folds, soiling, tears and pinholes all lower the grade.
• Match the note to the lists above, then, for anything over a few hundred dollars, get it graded by PMG or PCGS Banknote before selling.

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.