Lookup
Dollar Bill Serial Number Lookup
Every Federal Reserve Note carries a serial number of one or two letters, eight digits and a suffix letter or star. The letters tell you the issuing bank and, on newer high-denomination notes, the series. The digits are where collectors look for patterns. Enter yours below.
Serial number checker
Type the serial number exactly as printed, for example F03799510* or MB12345678A. Nothing is sent anywhere; the check runs in your browser.
This tool explains what the letters and digits mean and which collector patterns apply. It does not check authenticity, print runs or value.
How a serial number is built
Older notes and every $1 and $2 use one prefix letter, eight digits and one suffix letter, for example F03799510A. Redesigned $5 and higher notes from Series 1996 onward use two prefix letters: the first is the series, the second is the Federal Reserve Bank. The suffix letter advances once all 99,999,999 numbers are used for a bank and series; O and Z are never used as suffixes. A star in place of the suffix means a replacement note. Source: Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Federal Reserve Bank letters
- A — Boston, MA (district 1)
- B — New York, NY (district 2)
- C — Philadelphia, PA (district 3)
- D — Cleveland, OH (district 4)
- E — Richmond, VA (district 5)
- F — Atlanta, GA (district 6)
- G — Chicago, IL (district 7)
- H — St. Louis, MO (district 8)
- I — Minneapolis, MN (district 9)
- J — Kansas City, MO (district 10)
- K — Dallas, TX (district 11)
- L — San Francisco, CA (district 12)
Series letters on $5 and higher (first prefix letter)
- A — Series 1996
- B — Series 1999
- C — Series 2001
- D — Series 2003
- E — Series 2004
- F — Series 2003A
- G — Series 2004A
- H — Series 2006
- I — Series 2006
- J — Series 2009
- K — Series 2006A
- L — Series 2009A
- M — Series 2013
- N, P, Q — Series 2017, 2017A and 2021 according to collector references; the BEP table we could open stops at Series 2013
Fancy serial number types
- solid — Every digit in the 8-digit serial number is identical (prefix/suffix letters not counted). Example: 11111111.
- ladder — Digits ascend or descend by 1 in sequence. Ascending example: 01234567. Descending example: 98765432.
- radar — The 8-digit serial number reads the same forwards and backwards (a palindrome).
- repeater — A pattern repeats within the serial number; minimum repeat unit is 2 digits (e.g. 12121212), and a common sub-case is the first half equaling the second half (e.g. 74627462).
- super repeater — The first two digits repeat four times across the 8-digit serial. Example: 39393939.
- binary — The serial number contains only two unique digit values, in any order/quantity. Example: 74774774. PMG explicitly excludes numbers that are actually solids-in-disguise or round numbers like 10, 100, 1000, and 1 million from being counted as binaries.
- trinary — Like binary, but exactly three unique digit values appear across the 8-digit serial.
- low serial — Serial numbers starting with five or more zeros are treated as fancy 'low' serials, i.e. the numeric value falls in 00000001-00000999.
- high serial — Serial numbers starting with four or more nines are treated as fancy 'high' serials, i.e. numeric value in 99990000-99999999.
- birthday date — Serial number is interpretable as a calendar date of significance (personal or historical), e.g. 07041776 (July 4, 1776) or 02221732 (Feb 22, 1732, Washington's birthday).
- seven in a row — Seven of the eight digits in a row are identical. Example: 77777771.
- million — A serial number consisting of a number 1 through 100 followed by six zeros (e.g. 00001000000-style values scaled to 8 digits, i.e. 1-100 followed by six zeros).
- rotator — (Not requested in the brief but found alongside the others.) A serial number that reads as a valid number when the note/digits are rotated 180 degrees; only digits 0,1,6,8,9 can appear (6 and 9 swap under rotation).
What this lookup does not do
It does not check whether a note is genuine (serial numbers repeat across denominations and series, so a matching number proves nothing), it does not look up star-note print runs (BEP publishes those in production reports and third-party sites turn them into lookups), and it gives no prices. To get a reference range for a specific note, photograph both sides in even light and let the app read the series, seal colour and signatures first.
Guides to the parts of a serial number
FAQ
Is my dollar bill with a star rare?
A star means it is a replacement note. Whether it is scarce depends on how many were printed in that run, which BEP production reports show; runs of a few hundred thousand notes are the ones collectors look at first. The star alone does not make a note rare.
Can I look up who owns a bill or where it has been by its serial number?
No. Serial numbers are not tracked to people. Some hobby sites let people log where they found a bill, but that is voluntary and covers a tiny share of notes.
Does a fancy serial number make a bill worth more than face value?
Sometimes, to collectors who want that pattern, and mostly for notes in crisp uncirculated condition. Solid, ladder and very low numbers draw the most interest; radars and repeaters are common enough that condition matters more. Prices vary and are not given here.