#Check Your $2 Bills — They Could Be Worth a Ton

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If you have a $2 bill burning a hole in your pocket, think twice before spending it at some store. The bill itself might be worth a lot more than two dollars — enough to build some serious wealth.

Certain $2 bills can fetch $4,500 and up on the collectibles market, according to the U.S. Currency Auctions (USCA) website. Just about all of the really valuable ones were printed in the 19^th century. But even bills printed within the last 30 years might be worth hundreds of dollars — if you have the right one.

The $2 bill was first printed in 1862 and is still in circulation today. It originally featured a portrait of Alexander Hamilton, but that changed with an 1869 redesign that put Thomas Jefferson on the bill. The most recent edition of the $2 bill was designed in 1963, according to WFLA, which cited information from the U.S. Treasury Department.

If the $2 bill was minted and printed before 1976, it would likely be worth more than its face value on the collectibles market. In some cases, it might be worth only $2.25. The highest value is $4,500 or more for uncirculated notes from 1890, although most of those bills range in value from $550 to $2,500. The values are the same whether the bill has a red or brown seal.

An original uncirculated $2 bill from 1862 ranges in value from $500 to more than $2,800. You might get $3,800 or more for an 1869 note.

More recently, the USCA lists a value of $500 on certain uncirculated $2 bills from 1995. If you have a $2 bill from the 2003 premium Federal Reserve set of 12, you could get $700 or more.

Most $2 bills in circulation are worth exactly that: $2. And even though you don’t see a lot of $2 bills in everyday life, they are still being printed. The Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) planned to print up to 204 million $2 bills in 2022, CNN reported. There were 1.4 billion $2 bills in circulation in 2020, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.

Just keep this in mind: No matter how much your $2 bill is worth on the collectibles market, if you spend it at a store, you won’t be able to get more than $2 worth of merchandise, so shop wisely.

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