If you have two bills of the same denomination, but one looks smaller than the other, use this trick to see which is worth more. However, a good rule of thumb is to take the bill with the least wear and tear, fold in half lengthwise, then unfold it. A torn or stained bill will be worth much less than a nice crisp one. If your bill has older designs, you may have something precious.įinally, the condition affects value significantly. The oldest US paper money ever produced had unique designs for each denomination’s front and back, while newer bills have a new design and a picture of George Washington on the back.

So bills from before 1950 are worth more than bills created later. ConditionĪlso, the older a bill is, the more valuable it becomes. The further apart each digit is in a serial number, the more desirable it becomes. Many other factors affect the value of a specific bill. One person’s much worn $20 may be further less valuable than another person’s crisp, uncirculated $20. However, there is no definitive resource for how much a specific bill is worth. These books list the minimum values of bills. Many books and websites can help you determine if your bill is valuable, such as the Red Book (US) or Pick (UK). There are many different reasons why collectors love to buy and collect serial number currencies.Ĭollectors know that these coins have an edge over regular coins, which makes them even more lucrative to collect them with their specific serial numbers on it. What started as a small interest of a few people has grown into a hobby that is practiced by thousands of people across the world. Collecting fancy serial number currencies has been a hobby for some people for a really long time. They make the coin unique and distinguishable from any other coin in circulation. Serial numbers are an important feature of any currency. He sent me this note as a birthday present. It was a handwritten note from my uncle who lives in Russia. A post shared by Mark collected my first currency when I was 12 years old.

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