Value of Rare $1 Bills Worth Up to $150,000 – What To Do if You Possess One Of These Bills

(CTN News) – Before you part ways with that $1 bill in your wallet, take a moment to delve into its potential value. You might be holding onto a small fortune without even realizing it.

In the United States, avid collectors of coins and currency are eagerly shelling out up to $150,000 in pursuit of rare $1 bills bearing a specific printing error from the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

These sought-after bills stem from two distinct print runs—one in 2014 and another in 2016—that inadvertently featured this error. Shockingly, these bills entered circulation before the blunder was detected.

A Misprinted Bounty in Circulation

In November 2014, the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued a directive to its Washington DC facility to produce a batch of dollar bills. Then, in July 2016, an identical directive was sent to the Fort Worth facility.

This mix-up led to the production of dollars with identical serial numbers, essentially resulting in the inadvertent counterfeiting of their own currency. Ordinarily, each bill in circulation boasts a unique serial number for identification purposes.

Regrettably, neither misprint was caught by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing at the time. Consequently, currency enthusiasts are now on the hunt for matching pairs of dollar bills sporting these duplicate serial numbers.

In total, a staggering 6.4 million pairs of $1 bills share matching serial numbers. While this may seem like a substantial quantity, billions of dollars are in circulation, and to date, only nine pairs have been successfully matched.

How was the error discovered?

Well, according to a video by Silverpicker, the mistake flew under the radar until a banknote collector noticed an irregularity in the public documents released by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Despite the Bureau’s silence on the matter, the collector took matters into their own hands and filed a Freedom of Information Act request to uncover more details.

The government eventually acknowledged the error, confirming the existence of the staggering 6.4 million pairs of bills sharing identical serial numbers.

Identifying Rare $1 Bills Worth Up to $150,000

Identifying bills potentially worth up to $150,000 involves knowing three key details:

1. The Series date adjacent to George Washington’s portrait must read “Series 2013.”
2. The bill should bear a “B” Federal Reserve Seal positioned above the serial number.
3. The serial number must culminate with a star () and fall within the range of B00000001 – B00250000* or B03200001* – B09600000*.

What to Do if You Possess One of These Bills

Well, you’re certainly on the brink of a windfall, but the true value lies in finding its counterpart with the matching serial number.

While 37 complete pairs have been identified thus far, the Zegers/Winograd Project was established to track down all such bills, facilitating their exchange to form matching pairs. Over 10,000 bills were cataloged by the project, listing their current owners and serial numbers.

In 2021, the individuals behind the Zegers/Winograd Project stepped down, halting their efforts. However, a new collector has since taken the reins, aiding owners of misprinted star note bills in their quest for matching pairs.

By submitting your serial number to Project 2013B, you can check if there’s a match in the current database, which has expanded to include over 36,000 serial numbers.

Although none of the collectors in possession of matching pairs have been willing to sell thus far, experts estimate that such pairs, once matched and graded, could fetch anywhere between $20,000 and $150,000, contingent upon their condition and serial number.

So, is your one-dollar bill worth real money? While misprints of this caliber are exceedingly rare, the identical serial numbers make these bills incredibly valuable to collectors.

If you haven’t already, it’s high time to rummage through your wallet and see if you can transform a mere dollar into a small fortune of $150,000 or more.