Life is full of ironies, and one of them is that the $2 bill many spend without a second thought could actually be worth hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of dollars.

Yes, some $2 bills have been valued and are worth a lot to collectors. Of course, some conditions need to be met, but if they are, anyone who comes into possession of such bills could be sitting on a small fortune. 

The first time people got to spend the $2 bill was in 1862, and the very first set that was printed had an image of Alexander Hamilton. That changed in 1869 when Hamilton’s portrait was replaced with Thomas Jefferson’s. In the decades that followed, the $2 bill had different upgrades, culminating in six different designs. 

In 2022, a lucky individual happened upon an ancient $2 bill from 2003. The bill was sold via an online auction, leaving the person who sold it with $2,400. It was a great profit, but they probably regretted it because, it sold for $4000 just two weeks later. $2 bills from 2003 are known to be worth hundreds of dollars and, sometimes, higher.

If you can get your hands on a $2 printed and minted from before 1976, don’t let it go because it might just be worth a fortune. The most valuable $2 are from the 19th century, but finding them is like finding a needle in a haystack as they are no longer in circulation.

Reports claim that $2 bills from before 1917 tend to attract higher prices. If uncirculated, such a bill could be worth at least $1,000. All bills with a red seal could go for as high as $2,500, even more in some cases. If the bills have a blue or brown seal rather than a red, they can still be sold for a few hundred dollars. 

The value of a $2 bill depends on the year it was printed. The color of its seal also carries some importance, but the year takes more precedence. The bill that attracted the highest value was one printed in 1890 and sold for $4500. Other bills from the same year have been sold at prices ranging from $500 to $2,500. Bills from 1862 are worth between $500 and $2,800, while 1869 $2 bills have been known to sell for $3,800.

Many people do not like $2 bills and would rather not use them. If they get one at checkout, they quickly get rid of it because those bills are considered unlucky and awkward to use. During periods of wartime inflation and economic expansion, the frequency of their use increased but the stigmatization remained. People would even go as far as returning them to the Treasury after tearing off the corners so they wouldn’t go back into circulation.

For a $2 bill to attract collectors, some factors need to be considered. One is that it should have a portrait of either Alexander Hamilton or Thomas Jefferson. It also needs to be out of circulation because if it is, its value falls. If uncirculated, it could be worth thousands of dollars.

$2 bills printed in the 80s or 90s attract higher values. However, a bill not from those years could still be worth good money if it has low serial numbers or was misprinted. Such bills are considered extremely rare, a word collectors almost can’t resist. 

A $2 bill with a palindrome (serial numbers read the same forwards and backward) can be worth good money. Those with repeated serial numbers or a star on the serial number also attract good values. The star is proof that it is a replacement bill, which is very rare. 

Even though they are more popular than their $2 counterparts, $1 bills can also be worth a lot of money. It just depends on the year they are printed. Between 2014 and 2016, many $1 bills were printed, and millions of them came out with an error, making them very attractive to collectors. 

Some factors determine how valuable a $1 bill is. One is that it must have Series 2013 written on it next to a print of George Washington. It should also have a B Federal Reserve seal above the serial number, end with a star, and be between B00000001*-B00250000* or B03200001*-B09600000*.