One Dollar Bill With Blue Seal: What It Means and Value

A blue Treasury seal, with blue serial numbers, means your note is a silver certificate: paper money the U.S. issued between 1878 and 1964 that could once be exchanged for silver (Wikipedia). The Treasury stopped redeeming them for silver dollar coins in March 1964, and all redemption in silver ended on June 24, 1968. They are still legal tender at face value, so a blue-seal $1 is always worth at least $1 (Wikipedia). Small-size $1 silver certificates were printed in four series: 1928, 1934, 1935 and 1957, each with letter varieties.

Circulated (Fine to Extremely Fine), then uncirculated:

• 1928: $12–$22; $55+
• 1928A: $10–$20; $50+
• 1928B: $8–$12; $50+
• 1928C: $20–$125; $450+
• 1928D: $20–$55; $300+
• 1928E: $300–$700+; $1,500+
• 1934: $14–$25; $60+
• 1935: $4–$7; $18+
• 1935A with red R or S: $85–$175; $400+
• 1935B, 1935C, 1935D: $2.25–$3; $13+
• 1935E, 1935F: $1.50; $10+
• 1935G (with or without motto): $4–$6; $10+
• 1935H: $3–$7; $10+
• 1957, 1957A, 1957B: $2.25–$3; $7+

Greysheet (September 25, 2026) gives wider ranges that run up to top-grade certified notes; see each series page, for example 1935 or 1957.

• Back has a huge light-green ONE in the middle: Series 1928 or 1934, the "Funnyback" design. The 1934 front reads ONE DOLLAR with the seal on the right; the 1928 front reads ONE SILVER DOLLAR.
• Back has the pyramid and eagle but no IN GOD WE TRUST: Series 1935 to 1935F, or 1935G without the motto.
• Back has IN GOD WE TRUST above ONE: Series 1935G with motto, 1935H, or 1957 to 1957B.
• A red R or S printed on the front: a 1935A experimental note, worth checking carefully.

The series year and letter are printed on the front to the right of Washington's portrait. If the letter is hard to read, our page for each series lists the signature pairs.

A little. US Currency Auctions (viewed September 25, 2026) lists 1957, 1957A and 1957B at $2.25–$3 circulated and $7+ uncirculated, and SilverTowne was selling crisp uncirculated Series 1957 $1 notes at $12.57–$12.95 the same day, which is a retail price, not what a dealer pays. A 1957 star note ranges from about $2 worn to $160 in top grade (Greysheet, September 25, 2026). 1957 was the first series with IN GOD WE TRUST on the back of every note.

• $5 and $10 silver certificates: small-size silver certificates were regularly issued as $1, $5 and $10 notes, all with blue seals (Wikipedia). There is no small-size $2 silver certificate.
• Large-size notes: some older notes also carry blue seals, such as the 1899 $1 silver certificate ($45–$150 circulated) and the 1913 and 1914 $5 Federal Reserve Notes ($40–$70 circulated), per US Currency Auctions, viewed September 25, 2026.
• Brown or yellow instead of blue: the 1935A $1 with HAWAII overprinted has a brown seal (ordered June 8, 1942), and the North Africa issue of November 1942 has a bright yellow seal (Wikipedia). US Currency Auctions lists the HAWAII $1 at $30–$60 and the yellow-seal $1 at $40–$80 circulated.

The circulated prices above are for notes in Fine to Extremely Fine condition. A limp, torn, stained or taped common blue seal from 1935 or 1957 usually sells for little more than face, and cleaning or pressing it does not help; collectors and graders look for those signs. The exceptions are the scarce series (1928C, 1928D, 1928E, the R and S notes) and star notes, which still carry a premium when worn. To read the series, seal and serial from a photo, you can scan the note with NoteLens; 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.