Banknote Identifiers and Symbols (2024)

FAQs

Banknote Identifiers and Symbols? ›

Hold the note to light to see an embedded thread running vertically to the left of the portrait. The thread is imprinted with the letters USA and the numeral 100 in an alternating pattern and is visible from both sides of the note. The thread glows pink when illuminated by ultraviolet light.

Hold the note to light to see an embedded thread running vertically to the left of the portrait. The thread is imprinted with the letters USA and the numeral 100 in an alternating pattern and is visible from both sides of the note. The thread glows pink when illuminated by ultraviolet light.

A Revolutionary American creation, the Great Seal is a unique combination of natural elements (eagle, olive branch, stars, cloud, light rays, eye) and universal symbols (pyramid, arrows, shield). If you look at the left-and circle of the Great Seal, you will see a pyramid.

Palindromes: When the serial number is the same backward and forward, it's a palindrome and can be worth more. Low serial numbers: Serial numbers that are low tend to be more valuable, especially if the numbers are really low (meaning they were some of the first bills produced for that year).

As legal tender, it's still worth $100. Just keep in mind that it only buys about 1/5 as much as it did in 1977.

Hold the note to light to see the security thread that reads USA 100 to the left of Benjamin Franklin's portrait. The thread is visible from the front and back of the note and glows pink under ultraviolet light.

Treasury Seal

A green seal to the right of the portrait represents the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The design of the seal was changed to incorporate an English inscription and appears on all Federal Reserve notes of the 1969 series year or later.

In general, a circulated 1977 $20 bill is worth its face value of $20. However, if the bill is in uncirculated condition and has no major flaws, it may have a higher value to collectors. The exact value can vary, but it is typically around $25 to $30.

But solids, like 88888888, are also highly prized, as are sequentially numbered “ladders,” like 87654321. Other coveted fancy serial numbers include: Repeaters (36643664) Super repeaters (36363636) Binary bills (43433433)

“A serial number '1' for a 1976 $2 bill would be worth $20,000 or more. But [for] a majority of those people holding 1976 $2 bills, they are only worth face value. There are very few that actually exceed face value.” Other high-value serial numbers include what collectors call “solid” or “ladders.”

Are there any valuable $2 bills? ›

Depending on the year and how a $2 bill was circulated, some $2 bills are now worth thousands. A $2 currency note printed in 2003 sold online in mid-2022 for $2,400 on Heritage Auctions. The same bill sold again for $4,000 roughly two weeks later, according to the Texas-based auction house.

No special security features were used on $100 bills printed before 1990. Accordingly, the best way to check its authenticity is to compare it to another $100. You might have to go to a bank to check if the bill is authentic. You can also visit the U.S. Currency website and find images of older $100 bills.

A real $100 bill has a security thread embedded vertically on the left-hand side of the portrait. "It should read 'USA 100' and glow pink under UV light," Amishav told Newsweek. The thread is visible from both the front and back of the note, says the U.S. Currency Education Program.

In 1914, the government issued the first Federal Reserve notes, including $100 bills emblazoned with a portrait of the Founding Father whose name is now synonymous with big bucks — Benjamin Franklin.

Hold the bill up to the light and look for a watermark. Newer bills should have faces. Older bills may just have what looks like a faded spot. If there is no watermark or if the watermark “face” does not match the “face” on the bill, then it is probably counterfeit.