US Banknotes

The series letter on any US bill is normally located next to the date, and corresponds to the signature combination (Treasury Secretary and/or Treasurer) on the bill.

Explaining how series letters work is a bit complicated.

[1] Unlike the date on a coin, the date on a US bill isn't the year it was made. Rather, it's the year that a particular type of bill was first printed, and is called the "series date". Series dates can stay the same for more than one year, until the Treasury picks a new date.

[2] When a new series date is selected, the first signature combination does not have a letter. If there's a new combination within that series year, an "A" is added; the next combination is "B" and so on. In other words, "A" actually indicates the second combination, "B" is the third, etc.

I.e. a bill with a "G" series letter has the eighth distinct set of signatures for bills with that series date. The only time that happened was with the 1935 series of $1 bills - a 1935 G bill was actually printed in the early 1960s!

The natural question is: Why did the series date stay the same for almost 3 decades? It happened because at that time a new series date was selected only when a bill underwent a major redesign. $1 bills hadn't ever been updated so the Treasury just kept using the 1935 date. In fact, the last 1935-dated bills were printed in March, 1964. That somewhat absurd situation led the Treasury to re-evaluate the criteria for selecting a series date. Now a new series date starts not only when a design is changed, but also when a new Secretary of the Treasury is chosen; the letter changes only when and if a new Treasurer is appointed. If you look at the bills in your wallet you'll find many different series dates but very few series letters.

The US didn't print any bills dated 1936. Please check again and post a new question. Include the bill's denomination, seal color, and any letter that's right next to the date, if there is one.

Serial Numbers

It's normally not necessary to provide a bill's serial number. Serial numbers are counters and a security feature but rarely affect a bill's value.

All 1953 US $10 bills were issued as blue-seal silver certificates. Check for a small letter next to the date. As of 03/2015 approximate prices are:

No letter -

Circulated: $12 to $35 depending on the bill's condition

Uncirculated: $100

"A"

Circulated: $15 to $50

Uncirculated: $200

"B"

Circulated: $15 to $40

Uncirculated: $100

Serial Numbers

A bill's serial number is a counter and a security feature. In most cases it doesn't affect a bill's value or help to identify it. Some collectors specialize in bills with low serial numbers (e.g. 00000005) or unusual patterns (12344321) so these can bring above-average prices.

"In God We Trust"

That motto wasn't added to $10 bills until 1963 so it's perfectly normal for it to be missing on earlier notes.

DISCLAIMER: The values quoted are market averages as of the date shown, but may be different for an individual bill due to variations in quality and other factors. Also the wholesale (buying) price of a bill will be less than the selling (retail) price. A reputable currency dealer will be able to give a more accurate valuation based on an in-person inspection.

a private dealer will pay you more than a $10 Federal Reserve note. If you can find a dealer in a nearby location, it's worth a call to ask about that.