A TYPICAL $1 bill has turned out to be worth thousands due to a star symbol on the banknote.
It sold at auction for a whopping $29,900 a few years back.
Treasure Town (@TreasureTownShorts) shares YouTube videos related to coins, currency, and treasure.
In a YouTube short, the channel warned viewers to check their $1 bills, as a “common-looking” one sold for nearly $30,000 in 2008.
The bill was so valuable because of a discrepancy in the serial number on its right and left sides.
The $1 bill featured a star note and a non-star note serial number.
The serial number on the right side reads “F73056777L.”
However, the number on the left reads “F73056777” followed by a star symbol.
The content creator highlighted just how valuable the banknote was by noting the creases in the bill.
“The big thing to note about this is that it’s pretty worn. You can see a fold right there,” he said.
He pointed out the three folds on the bill – one on the right, one on the left, and one in the middle.
“So somebody literally plucked this out of their pocket change and people still paid about $30,000.”
WHAT IS A STAR NOTE?
Star note bills denote replacement banknotes.
They are bills the Bureau of Engraving and Printing uses to replace misprinted or damaged currency before releasing them into circulation.
They look just like typical paper money but have a star printed at the end of the serial number instead of a letter.
Most replacement banknotes feature two star notes, one on the right and one on the left.
Bills with two star notes can be valuable due to their rarity, but having only one star note indicates a printing error and drives up the bill’s value.
Rare coins
You may be holding something valuable in your wallet. Check out these articles on rare coins to see if you may have a treasure hidden deep in your pockets.
- Rare Lincoln penny sells for $201
- This buffalo nickel sold for $1,165
- 1971 Eisenhower silver coin sells for $264,000
- Lincoln double die obverse penny sells for $2,000
- Half cent sells for $3,383
- Rare nickel sells for $1,956 on eBay
- 1889 CC Morgan Silver dollar coin sells for $1,850
- Lincoln 1992 penny can be worth up to $25,000
- Standing Liberty quarter sells for $565
- Lincoln coin minted in 2020 sells for $525
The rarity of a star note bill also depends on the number of bills printed during the print run and released into circulation.
Star note bills from print runs of 640,000 banknotes or less are typically viewed as rare by collectors, often commanding a value greater than their face value.
Condition is also an important factor when determining the value of modern star note bills.
The U.S. Sun has previously reported on highly valuable currency.