Have a $2 bill hanging around? It could be worth thousands of dollars

Everyone is familiar with dollars, fives, 10s and 20s. But $2 bills are still out there, and they could be worth a lot of money.

An auction site called U.S. Currency Auctions estimates that uncirculated $2 bills from 1890 could sell for at least $4,500. Uncirculated $2 bills from nearly every year between 1862 and 1899 could have an estimated value of over $1,000, according to the site. The price guide offers only estimates and warns that collectors offer rates based on location and printing method.

How much is a $2 bill worth?

Heritage Auctions, which claims to be the world's largest collectibles auctioneer, shows that a $2 bill from 1896 sold for over $6,000 in January.

While more recent $2 bills may not have as much value, some could still fetch at a high price. A $2 bill from 2003 was sold for $4,000 in August 2022. That particular bill had a low serial number for the 2003 series.

Is the $2 bill rare?

In 2022, the Federal Reserve reported that there were 1.5 billion $2 bills in circulation, which was only a small fraction of the total volume of $54.1 billion in currency in the United States. Comparatively, there were 2.3 billion $10 bills, 3.5 billion $5 bills and 11.5 billion $20 bills in circulation in 2022.

History of $2 bill

The $2 bill features the face of Thomas Jefferson, while the back shows an engraving of John Trumbull's painting, “Declaration of Independence,” which depicts the signing of the famous document.

The first $2 bill was issued by the federal government in 1862 and originally portrayed Alexander Hamilton.

The government at one point stopped issuing $2 bills, following the U.S. Treasury's failed attempt to popularize the bill in the early 20th century. The bill was reintroduced in 1976 and remains in circulation today.

The $2 bill can hold a different, non-monetary value to people. Some may view the dollar view with a negative connotation, as it has a history of association with illegal activities such as bribery, while other believe the bill to be good luck.