US Banknotes

It's not usually easy. US bills are dated by "series" rather than when they were printed. Most of the time, but not always, a series starts when there's a new design, a new Secretary of the Treasury, or new Treasurer. That means the bill can't have been printed any earlier than when the change occurred. The problem is that the same series date is used in following years, and sometimes there's an overlap when one series continues to be printed even after the start of a new one.

If the bill is recent, it may be possible to cross-reference its serial number to an approximate printing date. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (moneyfactory.com) maintains sets of tables indicating the dates that a particular range of serial numbers was printed.

No. Many colors were used on silver certificates until colors were standardized in 1928, but purple wasn't among them. You may have a blue-seal bill that's changed color from age or being exposed to some chemical.

Please check your bill again and post a new, separate question. The US didn't print any bills dated 1939

Please post a new, separate question with more details about the suspected misprint. Values can vary greatly depending on the error.

There's no such thing. The U.S. has never printed a $1,000,000 bill.

"D" was the highest series letter for 1934 $10 green-seal bills. You're probably looking at the Federal Reserve district letter rather than the series letter which appears next to the date.

Please see the Related Question for more information.

1957 is a common series for $1 silver certificates. They're generally worth around 2 to 3 dollars, depending on condition.

Some of the best places for buying and selling rare bank notes are The Right Note, US Rare Currency, Rare National Currency, Numismaster, Antique Bank Notes, eBay and many more.

They make pens that detect fake bills, also the paper has small colored fibers.

It depends on what you mean by "old". Thomas Jefferson's picture has been on the US $2 bill since 1918. Earlier bills had pictures of George Washington, Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse, Treasury Secretary William Windom, General Winfield Hancock, and other famour or once-famous political figures.

$500 bills: 1918 series - Justice John Marshall; 1928 & 1934 series - President William McKinley

$1000: 1918 - Alexander Hamilton; 1928 - President Grover Cleveland

$5000: 1918 - President James Madison

$10,000: 1918-1934 - Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase

$100,000: 1934-35 - President Woodrow Wilson (none put in circulation)

The ink is actually brown, not red. There's more information at the Related Question below.

The US didn't print any bills dated 1946. Please check again and post a new, separate question.

They're uncommon in circulation, but not rare. 100 dollar bills tend to be used less than smaller denominations as its often unsafe to carry large numbers of these bills around. Most people who need to spend over $100 will instead use credit cards.

It depends on the extent of the offset. If the entire back image is visible, the bill has no added value. But if part of another bill is showing it's considered to be a sigificant alignment error; you should have it inspected by someone who specializes in error currency.

Unlike bills printed by other countries that have very strict alignment tolerances, US bills (especially older ones) can be offset by as much as a few millimeters and still pass inspection, so long as the image on each side is complete.

The US didn't print any bills dated 1946. Please check again and post a new, separate question.

As of 2013 a genuine $10,000 bill would sell for 30 to 45 thousand dollarsm but it's extremely unlikely your bill is real. $10,000 was an enormous amount of money in 1934; very few such bills were printed and they were used only by the super-wealthy.

The value of a 1953 gold 2 dollar bill will vary. The value will be determined by the condition of the bill and by the current supply and demand for it.

To clear things up, there's no "Bank of San Francisco". Your bill was printed in Washington DC for the San Francisco Federal Reserve District and was distributed through that district's bank.

Please see the Related Question for more information.

A one-dollar bill signed by Joseph W. Barr, who served as the Treasurer of the United States briefly in 1966, can hold significant collector value, particularly if it is in good condition and has a unique serial number. Such bills are often sought after by numismatists and collectors due to Barr's relatively short tenure and the limited number of bills he signed. The value can vary widely, but it generally ranges from a few dollars to several hundred, depending on its condition and market demand. Always consult a professional appraiser or a reputable dealer for an accurate valuation.

Not anymore. U.S. currency above $100 was withdrawn in the 1960s.

A hundred dollar bill can look different depending on the country of origination. An American $100 bill has a portrait on Benjamin Franklin on one side of the bill and Independence Hall on the other.

Francine Neff served as US Treasurer from 1974 to 1977, so her signature was on the 1976 series of $2 bills. That series was the single largest printing of the denomination so if you got the bill in change it's only worth $2. A nice uncirculated one might sell for $3 or $4.

Only three in the U.S.A

The US didn't print any bills with that date. The blue seal indicates it's a silver certificate; these were dated either 1934 or 1953. You may want to check the seal and date to be sure.