Your $1 bill could be worth thousands. Here's how to check

Victoria E. Freile, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Don't drop that dollar without a double check. That $1 bill in your wallet could be worth thousands due to a particular printing error. Depending on the year and how the dollar was circulated, some $1 bills are now worth thousands, according to WealthyNickel.com, a personal finance blog. A printing error that resulted with duplicate serial numbers was made by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing and now coin and currency collectors are valuing them at $150,000 for a pair.

The dollar bills in question were requested from the Washington, D.C., facility in 2014 and from the Fort Worth facility in 2016 with the same order and released into circulation before the mistake was uncovered.

Thirty-seven complete pairs were identified so far, according to wealthynickel.com.

What is the printing error?

The two sets of $1 bills show duplicate serial numbers, meaning that two individual $1 bills were printed with the exact same serial number. Each dollar bill should have its own, unique serial number.

Individually, the misprinted $1 bills aren't worth much. The value of the misprint is pairing it with the second bill with a matching serial number.

How was the error discovered?

According to wealthynickel.com, a collector spotted an anomaly in the Bureau's public documents and filed a Freedom of Information Act request to seek more details. "The government admitted the error and the existence of the 6.4 million pairs of bills with matching serial numbers," the blog read.

How many of these $1 bills remain in circulation?

According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 6.4 million pairs of duplicate banknotes were printed in 2014 and 2016. The notes were created in Texas and Washington, D.C. but after 10 and 8 years of circulation, could be anywhere today.

How to check your dollar bill

  • The series date located on the far right of the photograph of George Washington must read “Series 2013”

  • The bill has a “B” Federal Reserve Seal above the serial number located to the right of Washington's photo

  • The serial number ends with a star (★) and fall between B00000001★ – B00250000★ or B03200001★-B09600000★

If you find a duplicate dollar

If the numbers on your dollar bill match the above criteria, submit your serial number to Project 2013B current database, which has exceeded more than over 36,000 serial numbers.

Includes reporting by USA Today Network reporter Tamara Walker

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Your $1 bill could be worth thousands. Here's how to check

Advertisement