Americans urged to ‘take a second look’ as ordinary $5 bills are actually worth thousands – it’s easy to spot lucky note
A FIVE-DOLLAR bill may be worth a lot more than you think.
Next time you go to pay with a $5 bill or you get change back, take a close look at the bill’s serial number.
Bills with serial numbers such as ‘G88888888A’ or ‘B55555555C’ could be worth upwards of thousands of dollars, according to Go Banking Rates.
Of the 826 million $5 bills currently in circulation, only one in 11 million have solid serial numbers.
Solid serial numbers mean all digits in the serial number are identical.
One TikToker (@BlueRidgeSilverHound) went viral after showcasing a worn down $5 bill from 1988 that sold for $2,040 in a 2023 Heritage Auction.
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The TikToker, who goes by Shaun, went viral in 2022 after explaining how citizens can get more than what they bargained for with their $5 bills.
“There’s a brand new printing error on the brand new $1 and $5 that’s making huge headlines,” he starts out.
The video shows a $5 up close with a focus on the series in the bottom left corner.
“First you’re going to focus on brand new 2017 Series A notes, you’re not going to find this on any older notes.”
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“In addition, you’re going to pay attention to the serial numbers. One of the main features of this error is mismatched serial numbers.”
“The top serial number is way different from the bottom. In addition, there’s some missing numbers.”
The influencer attributed all of the issues to a new printer for the $5 bills.
He goes on to show a 2022 sale of a bill with mismatched numbers that came out to $9,703.
“No of course that’s an extremely fine example, nicer notes will command much more money,” Shaun pointed out.
“Well over $10,000.”
Another video of Shaun’s, which has over 372,000 views, shows another error on a $1 bill that makes the single worth ten times more.
“Hey everyone, you guys need to pay closer attention to your money,” the collector of over 25 years began.
What to look for on your $5 bill
Tiny misprints can be worth big money. Here's what to look for:
- Bills with serial numbers such as ‘G88888888A’ or ‘B55555555C’
- Solid serial numbers--meaning all digits in the serial number are identical--are one in 11 million
- $5 bills that are Series A 2017
- Look at serial numbers on the top and bottom
- If serial numbers are mismatched or missing, the bill could be worth thousands
In the video, Shaun holds a $1 bill with a zoomed-in focus on the serial numbers.
“Take a look at these serial numbers. The serial numbers on the bottom left are perfectly straight, nothing strange going on,” he pointed out.
“But if you look at the next set of serial numbers, notice that the zero is slightly higher.”
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“They call that a turn digit error…these actually sell for about $8 to $10.”
“They only go up from there depending on how dramatic that turn is.”