Your $2 bill may be worth a lot more than you think
Despite their lack of popularity, the $2 bill is still underestimated and is at least worth two dollars.
Some $2 notes, however, may be valued at thousands.
History
In 1862, the first official $2 banknote was printed with the face of Alexander Hamilton, the Founding Father of the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, on the front.
It was in 1869 that the bill was redesigned to feature a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, a key image that remains unchanged to this day.
#HappyBirthday, Mr. President! Thomas Jefferson was born April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, #Virginia and first appeared on the $2 bill in 1869. #FoundingFather pic.twitter.com/XeoOxrbqk9
— BEP (@BEPgov) April 13, 2021
On the flipside was the picture of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s estate in Virginia, but the back was changed to a vignette of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the famous document authored by Jefferson.
Fetching a fortune
While the $2 bill is synonymous with Jefferson’s portrait, the note has seen several changes on the back, along with some on the front, including placement and size of the photo and the addition of colors.
And some of these bills may be worth far more than what is suggests.
To find the value of your $2 bill, look at the year and seal color. Crisp, uncirculated bills with red, brown and blue seals from 1862 through 1896 can fetch about $5,000 at U.S. Currency Auctions. And if your note is a little crumbled and used, circulated bills from the same time can be worth up to $1,100.