What the government did was, technically, counterfeiting.
In July 2016, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing missent an order to the facility in Fort Worth requesting a batch of $1 bills to be printed.
The exact same request had apparently been sent months earlier, in November 2014, to the Washington, D.C., facility—meaning a second batch of dollar bills with duplicate serial numbers was printed.
It was technically counterfeiting. But the public reaped the profits of the error, as collectors of rare currency paid big dollars for such minting mistakes.
There are now 6.4 million pairs of $1 bills with the same serial number that have been printed, and so far, only nine pairs have been matched and 37 identified.
In addition to matching the elusive pairs, an epic task itself, one needs to find three markers on the bills in order for them to qualify:
The series date near the picture of George Washington must read “Series 2013;”
There must be a “B” Federal Reserve seal above the serial number;
And the serial number must end with the star-glyph, “*”, and fall between B00000001* and B00250000*, or B03200001* and B09600000*.
Experts have estimated that matching pairs of the rare bills could sell for $20,000 to $150,000.
So, your $1 bills might seem like petty cash, but you might want to hang onto them, just in case. And while you’re at it, $2 bills could be worth a tidy sum also—to the tune of $5,000.
Those $2 bills are rare, but there is a chance that one could be worth lots more than face value, depending on several factors.
Older bills and those uncirculated, obviously, have the potential to be worth more, though the condition is also important. A pre-1900 bill, for example, would need to be in “very high graded condition” to fetch a lot of money, Fox News reported.
But the big sums are paid for $2 bills that have more particular markers. Notably, the specific year and color of the seal can mean a difference of hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
A circulated United States Note from 1862 with a red seal could fetch between $325 and $650, according to US Currency Auctions, while one from 1869 with a red seal could fetch between $425 and $1,000. Both uncirculated could fetch $2,000.
Bigger money is paid for $2 bills from 1880. Those with a red seal could be worth between $100 and $1,000, circulated, and between $500 and $2,500, uncirculated; while those with a brown seal could range from $150 to $1,200, circulated, and as much as from $950 to $3,500 uncirculated.
But that doesn’t mean collectors won’t pay thousands more. While bills with green seals tend to be worth less, those featuring red seals could fetch as much as $5,000, according to the US Currency Price Guide.
So, sharpen your serial number matching skills: it’s time to start checking your wallet and couch cushions for paper change.
