The history of money is one of the most interesting and fascinating stories there is to the world. Have you ever wondered how long the coins or bank notes in your pocket have been around for? Because chances are, there’s a $1 bill that’s worth thousands and you just don’t even know it yet!
People who have been coin collecting this whole time might actually be on to something. Money that was made a while back actually may have a secret. There are actually some $1 bills that are worth far more than their official monetary value. Just like those seeking rare coins, there are those looking for rare dollar bills. These aren’t just any old rare $1 bills either, but ones with specific serial codes- and some are worth thousands. Collectors at CoolSerialNumbers.com created a list of the most desirable serial numbers—and they’re willing to more dollars than your dollars are worth.
Which $1 Bills Are Worth Thousands?
So how does one know which serial numbers to be looking for? There are so many notes out there, but which $1 bill is worth thousands?
Look for the Serial Number
The serial number is the long eight-digit list on the bill. In modern currency, there are 99,999,999 different eight-digit serial numbers that exist. The way the numbers are arranged are what you’re looking for. The “fancy” bills can have several different ways of being considered fancy.
Image Credit: Dollar Shave Club
Solid Serial Numbers
A $1 bill that has a solid serial numbers are going to be the exact same number, like this: 11111111. There are obviously only going to be nine solid serial numbers in total. The reason why is because the serial number can only go up to 99999999. (1)
Ladder Serial Numbers
Bills that have ladder serial numbers are exactly how they sound. One number is higher than the last. This kind of serial number will look like this: 01234567 or even 98765432.
More Bills With “Fancy” Serial Numbers
Solid and ladder serial numbers are probably the most sought after $1 bills. Mostly because of how simple the serial number is to find on a bill. However, there are some specific serial numbers that make the hunt even harder. Here’s how to look for radar and repeater serial numbers. (1)
Radar Serial Number
$1 bills that have a radar serial number are a little more difficult. The four last digits are reversed from the first four. This means that this type of serial looks like this: 20066002 or 11188111. There are even bills that have serial numbers that are considered “super radars“. These kinds of bills have the same first and last digit and every other digit in between is the same. So finding a bill like 71111117 is considered to be a super radar.(1)
Repeater Serial Numbers
The next type of serial number is the opposite of radar bills. They are known as repeater serial numbers. These serial numbers have the first four digits repeated twice. Look for numbers like 81118111 or 20062006. You can even find super repeater bills with numbers like 01010101 or 98989898. (1)
Tricky $1 Bill Serial Numbers To Look For
You’d think that looking for radar and repeater serial numbers was tough. However, there are some $1 bills that are worth the extra effort! Finding numbers like 26622662 and 87788778 are some pretty good examples that combine the two styles. Additionally, it’s good to note that some repeaters, radars, and repeater radars can be solid numbers. This doesn’t make them less valuable it just means they fall in both categories. (1)
Double-Quad Serial Number
Keep an eye out for bills that are considered “double-quad”. This means bills that have serial numbers with four same-like digits in the beginning and four different same-like digits at the end. Their serial numbers look something like this: 11114444 and 22226666. However, you’ll find a lot of double- quads are also considered to be solid serial numbers.
The Hunt Continues
There are still three more types of serial numbers that you will want to look for in your hunt. These are also serial styles for $1 bills that are worth thousands.
Seven-in-a-row
Bills that have either first or last digit being the only different numeral while the rest are the exact same. This means the bill serial number would look like 01111111 or 98888888. This style of serial number is considered “seven-in-a-row“. (1)
It is important that you are able to differentiate that with “Seven-of-a-kind”. This style is very similar to the first, however, the single different digit is placed randomly. This would make the serial look like 44444424 or 99899999. (1)
Last, but not least, binary bills. This type of serial number only contains two like numbers. 10100111 and 11181888 are great examples of what a binary serial number would look like. (1)
If you’ve been using the list that we provided in this article, then we recommend printing out the PDF. Keep this list in your car or your coat pocket the next time you go out into the world. You might just find your own $1 bill that’s worth thousands.
