Decoding Dollars $100 (2024)

FAQs

Decoding Dollars $100? ›

Tilt the note to see the 100 in the lower right corner change color from copper to green. Tilt the note to see the Bell in the Inkwell change color from copper to green. The 3-D Security Ribbon is blue and has images of bells and 100s. When you tilt the note back and forth, the bells and 100s move from side to side.

Knowing what your paper money might be worth is all in the serial number. Serial numbers are eight digits long and are unique to each bill. They are paired with other identifying letters and numbers that identify the series year the bill is from and where it was printed.

Security Thread

Hold the note to light to see an embedded thread running vertically to the left of the portrait. The thread is imprinted with the letters USA and the numeral 100 in an alternating pattern and is visible from both sides of the note. The thread glows pink when illuminated by ultraviolet light.

For denominations $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note has a letter and number designation that corresponds to one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. The letter of each indicator matches the second letter of the serial number on the note.

Issued 1990 - 1996

All U.S. currency remains legal tender, regardless of when it was issued.

Serial numbers are eight-digit-long codes that are unique to each bill. They are accompanied by other identifying letters and numbers that tell us which series year the bill is from and where it was printed. They are found on the front of U.S. currency and are always printed twice.

That kind of prize is reserved only for the fanciest of serial numbers, like 00000001. But solids, like 88888888, are also highly prized, as are sequentially numbered “ladders,” like 87654321. Other coveted fancy serial numbers include: Repeaters (36643664)

Star notes never have a set value—they're only as valuable as other people say they are. That's why the best way to find out the value of yours is to sell the currency on a site like eBay and let other people decide for you in an open auction.

Assuming you're talking about US currency—although it would be great if Quora users would learn that there's a whole world outside the United States, even other countries that use the dollar as their national currencies, and not the US version either—the 1996 $100 bill is worth $100 in circulated (used) condition.

Are $2 bills worth anything? ›

If the $2 bill was minted and printed before 1976, it would likely be worth more than its face value on the collectibles market. In some cases, it might be worth only $2.25. The highest value is $4,500 or more for uncirculated notes from 1890, although most of those bills range in value from $550 to $2,500.

Back before 1996, the bills sported a smaller portrait of Franklin in an oval, like how George Washington appears on the $1 bill. There aren't as many of those notes around these days and because of that, they are rare and collectible and selling for more than $100, with most going on eBay for between $120 and $135.

As legal tender, it's still worth $100. Just keep in mind that it only buys about 1/5 as much as it did in 1977. If you bought an item for $100 in 1977, it would cost you $506 today.

Most 1985 series $100 star notes are worth around $200 in extremely fine condition. In uncirculated condition the value is around $425 for notes with an MS 63 grade. Star notes issued from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are more valuable. Each note is worth around $300 in extremely fine condition.