US Banknotes

As of 06/2014 approximate prices are:

No letter next to the date:

Circulated: $125 to $180 depending on the bill's condition

Uncirculated: $400

"A" next to the date:

Circulated: $125 to $180

Uncirculated: $225

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.

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.

The US didn't print any $2 bills dated 1973. Please check again and post a new question.

Other dates

US $2 bills dated 1976 and later are only worth face value. Bills dated 1953 and 1963 may be worth a bit more than $2 depending on their condition and series letter.

Assuming the "F" is next to the date, it's what's called a series letter. It indicates which pairing of Treasury Secretary and US Treasurer were in office when that particular run of bills was first printed. The "F" on your bill means it was printed during the run begun when Robert B. Anderson was Treasury Secretary and Ivy Baker Priest was Treasurer; i.e. somewhere in the period between July 1957 and January 1961.

So why does the bill have a 1935 date on it? Unlike dates on coins, the dates on US bills aren't necessarily the year they were printed. They indicate the start of what's called a "series". The letter is a kind of subseries within the series year.

Up till 1974, a series date represented the year that a particular design was adopted. The series date stayed the same until that particular design was replaced. When a new Treasury Secretary or US Treasurer was appointed, a small letter would be put next to the date. The start of the series had no letter. When a new official was appointed an A would be added, then a B, C, and so on. "F" is the sixth letter which means it was printed as part of the seventh subseries, because the first one didn't have a letter.

The somewhat absurd situation of 1935-dated bills being printed in the 1960s led to a change of policy in 1974. Since then, the series date is changed whenever a new Treasury Secretary is appointed, in addition to whenever there's a new design. The series letter now changes only when or if a new Treasurer is appointed during that series year.

As of 06/2011 retail values for bills in average condition are about $6 to $10 for all series letters (next to the date) except for the 1928-F printing, which goes for $8 to $13.

Uncirculated bills can bring as much as 10 times the value of a circulated bill.

Red Ink

The red seal indicates that your bill is a United States Note, a form of paper money issued from 1862 to 1966.

US Notes were issued directly by the Federal Government instead of through the Federal Reserve System (the central bank). They were completely interchangeable with Federal Reserve Notes, so production was consolidated to save printing costs. All US paper currency is now issued by the Federal Reserve.

In average circulated condition, it's worth about $10 If only very lightly circulated, it's worth about $15 A nice crisp uncirculated one is worth about $50

$6 to $10 for all series letters except 1928 F; these are worth about $8 to $13

To clear things up:

• As the banner across the top indicates, your bill is a Federal Reserve Note rather than a United States Note. The last $10 US Notes were dated 1923.
• The bill isn't a "Hawaiian series". It was printed in Washington during WWII specifically for use in Hawaii; the distinctive seal color and HAWAII overprinting were intended to make it easy for the bills to be declared worthless if the islands had been invaded by Japan.

Please see the question "What is the value of a 1934 US 10 dollar bill with HAWAII on it?" for more information.

A 1928 A $2 US Note is relatively scarce.Retail prices as of 10/2009:

$50 in average condition, $80 if nicer. Uncirculated ones sell for $275 or more.

Red Printing

All 1928 U.S. $2 bills have red printing, indicating that they are a form of currency called United States Notes. U.S. Notes were very similar to the current Federal Reserve notes in that they weren't backed by gold or silver in the Treasury. U.S. Notes were issued up till the 1960s. Because there was no monetary difference between the 2 forms, U.S. Notes were phased out in favor of Federal Reserve Notes to save on printing costs.

Serial Numbers

A bill's serial number is a counter and security feature but rarely affects its value, nor does it help to readily ID a particular bill. The date, condition, and whether there's a small letter next to the date are much more important.

Presumably you're asking about the Latin wording on the left side of the bill. The two phrases are

• Novus Ordo Seclorum - "[A] New Order of the Ages"
• Annuit CÅ“ptis - "[Providence] has approved of (our) undertakings"

The image of the pyramid and eye are taken from the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The pyramid has 13 rows of stones representing the original 13 colonies; it's unfinished, indicating that the US is a an unfinished enterprise but based on a solid foundation. The eye is the Eye of Providence, looking out over the new nation.

The lowest-denomination bill issued by the US government was a 3-cent note, printed from 1864 to 1869.

Bills with denominations of less than $1 are called fractional currency. They were issued during and after the Civil War because people were hoarding coins for their metal value. Other denominations included 5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 cents.

In the mid-1870s Congress authorized the minting of additional silver coins to replace fractional bills. The last printing was in 1876 and shortly after that all fractional currency was retired from circulation.

To clear things up, the bill isn't actually from Hawaii. It was printed in Washington for use in Hawaii during WWII. There are 2 dates, 1934 and 1934 A. As of 05/2014 approximate prices are:

1934

Circulated: $25 to $80 depending on the bill's condition

Uncirculated: $550

1934 A

Circulated: $25 to $90 depending on the bill's condition

Uncirculated: $550

These bill used brown-colored seals and serial numbers along with the HAWAII overprint to make them easily recognizable. They could be quickly declared worthless if the islands had been invaded.

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.

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.

Most 1929 National Bank Notes are moderately valuable, but the number of factors affecting prices make an online estimate very difficult. While this site ordinarily tries to provide reasonable estimates, people who work with National Bank Notes recommend that bills be evaluated in person by an expert dealer or appraiser.

Info: What is a National Bank Note?

The brown seal and the banner across the bill's top front mean that it's a special type of paper money called National Currency. These now-unusual bills were backed by bonds deposited with the Treasury by the issuing bank.

Series 1929 National Currency was printed in two forms:

* Bills issued as National Bank Notes have the words "National Bank" and the name of the issuing bank to the left of the portrait. In addition, the issuing bank's ID number is printed in heavy black type on the left and right edges of the bill.

* Bills issued as Federal Reserve Notes have the words "Federal Reserve Bank" and the name of the district city to the left of the portrait.

Bond-backed currency was discontinued during the Great Depression as part of the government's efforts to stabilize the economy. 1929 was the last series date for National Currency Notes, although these bills continued to be printed for a few more years.