Three $2 Bills Worth Money on eBay

By CoinWeek …..
 

$2 bills hold a special place in the hearts of many Americans due to their unusual value and their uncommon appearance in circulation. Despite this, $2 Federal Reserve Notes continue to be printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) and can be acquired at face value at practically any bank. They also provide an interesting area for collecting, whether you are new to the hobby or a sophisticated collector. In our recent survey of eBay results, we discovered three $2 bill listings that have sold for sizable premiums.

What Is a $2 Bill and Why Are They (Sometimes) Valuable?

The $2 bill is a circulating Federal Reserve Note produced intermittently since March 1862. The design of the $2 bill has changed dramatically over time with portraits of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson appearing on the note’s face. The famous Series 1896 $2 bill featured an allegorical vignette depicting Science presenting steam and electricity to Commerce and Manufacture on the front, while on the back, portraits of steamboat inventor Robert Fulton and telegraph pioneer and morse code inventor Samuel Morse are seated amidst a bold green guilloché pattern.

In more recent times, Jefferson’s portrait has been framed in the center of the note, making the nation’s third President synonymous with the seldom-used United States currency note.

Here are three $2 bills that have recently sold for big money.

1953 $2 Bill “Yellow Seal” Star Replacement Note in Uncirculated Condition

Sometimes collecting paper money requires one to pay tuition in the school of Lessons Learned. eBay seller discount_rare_currency_bills offered this chemically-altered $2 Legal Tender Note. When the note left the BEP, the seal and the serial numbers were printed in red ink. These altered Series 1953 Red Seal Notes have been promoted in the hobby as “errors” for quite a long time and some sellers are even up front that the notes have been altered. Sadly, these fake errors sell for big premiums because buyers are not familiar with the scam. Besides these notes being unlisted in any paper money reference, one will see that no examples have been certified by the leading currency grading services. This note cost an unknowledgeable buyer $406; imagine if he or she would have spent a fraction of that money on books.

One wonders why this seller would price such a spurious note at over $400, given their obvious experience selling other notes and errors. Only the occasional listing references the notes as being altered. Apparently, eBay doesn’t police this issue.

Series 1918 $2 National Currency Note of the Federal Bank of Chicago Battleship Note

The $2 “Battleship Note” is one of the most iconic small-size Federal Reserve Notes ever issued. This design is ranked high in Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman’s 100 Greatest American Currency Notes (2005), and it’s not hard to see why. Featured on the back of this note is a vignette emblematic of the U.S. Navy’s New York Class Battleships, which were built from 1911-1914 . Bowers writes that the engraving was likely based on USS New York, which saw action in both World Wars.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago issued three varieties of this note; the $2 bill that sold on eBay for $1,202 after 56 bids features the third signature combination of Elliot-Burke-Cramer-McDougal.

Fancy, low, binary, Serial Number 2 Dollar Bill PMG EPQ 67

Lucky numbers are a popular niche for paper money collectors. This fancy serial number shows three zeroes followed by two fives and then three more zeroes. This is known to paper money specialists as a “Radar Note“. “Radar” is a word that can be spelled forwards or backwards and radar notes feature a sequence of numbers that do the same. This note was issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Georgia, and is from Series 2009 featuring the signature combination of Rosie Rios and Timothy Geithner. Graded EPQ 67 by Paper Money Guaranty (PMG), this high grade note sold for $375.

In our opinion, this is a reasonable retail price for a $2 bill of this quality and unusual serial number on eBay.

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This article just scratches the surface of the exciting field of paper money collecting. For more about what you can find on a Federal Reserve Note, check out this primer.

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