I know very little about US bank notes. I inherited quite a few, and have since learned enough to become dangerous. I learned enough to recognize the unusual. While receiving my change from a pack of smokes, I received a US Series 1957B 1$ Silver certificate. I am sure its worth not much more than face but this is the first "vintage" bill I have gotten, unless you count a 1990's $20 I picked up off the ground some years back.
It is actually less likely to find an older $1 than say a $10 or $20 in circulation from that era since a lot of people didn't really save them longterm. I have gotten a pile of LT $2s, and LT, FRN, and SC $5s in the past few months. I haven't gotten an SC $1 in maybe 5-6 years.
if the chances of finding a silver cert are slim, I wonder what the chances of finding a silver cert star note is?
Because they were saved at the time, and someone either finds them in old stuff or loots someone's older stash the chances are really not that slim - I have found quite a few duece stars.
I have trouble even finding $1 bills older than 2003 in circulation so that's a great find in my book.
