Questions pop up not infrequently about whether a serial number deserves a premium. Here is a general guide to the answer: SOURCE Information condensed from: "An Official Whitman Guidebook" Collector’s Guide to Modern Federal Reserve Notes / Series 1963-2009 By Robert Azpiazu LOW and FANCY SERIAL NUMBERS. General Comments Quoted values are for Choice Crisp Uncirculated (CHCU) Higher face values sometimes get a higher premium BUT not in proportion to face values. A $100 face note does NOT get 100 times the premium of a $1 face note. The factor is more on the order of 2 times. Special exceptions have a significantly higher value. Low Numbers - The lower, the better. Single-digit numbers 00000001 through 00000009 Value Range - $500 to $1,500 depending on face value (with a few special exceptions) Two-digit numbers 00000010 through 00000099 Value Range - $200 - $300 depending on face value Three-digit numbers Value Range - no significant premium Solid Serial Numbers All have a significant premium. 11111111 to 99999999 Value Range - $1,500 - $4,000 depending on face value (999999999 is a special exception) Ladders Full Ladder – Eight numbers in order (no skips) 01234567, 12345678, 23456789 98765432, 87654321, 76543210 Value Range - $1,000 - $3,000 depending on face value (98765432 is a special exception) Partial Ladder 00123456, 00012345, 00002345, … ,00000123, 00000012 65432100, 54321000, 43210000, … ,32100000, 21000000 Value Range – no significant premium 10 Million Notes 10000000, 20000000, … ,80000000, 90000000 Value Range – $2,500 to $6,000 Radars – Numbers read the same forward and backward 15677651 – four-digit radar 97722779 – three-digit radar 11888811 – two-digit radar 25522552 – radar repeater 12344321 – radar ladder 10000001 – super radar Value Range – 3- & 4-digit radar $8-10 Value Range – 2-digit radar $20-30 Value Range – Super radar $85-100 Repeaters – Notes with repeating digits 15671567 – four-digit repeater 34453445 – three-digit repeater 77887788 – two-digit repeater 01010101 – super repeater Value Range – 3- & 4-digit repeater $8-10 Value Range – 2-digit repeater $20-30 Value Range – Super repeater $85-100
I have seen three digit numbers go for a premium on eBay - usually not much, maybe a few dollars over face, but sometimes more. Same comment applies to some partial ladders.
Again, it will depend on if the underlying note has other rare traits. A 3-digit SN on a Hawaii or North Africa or $5,000 bill note is going to command a big premium as opposed to on a recent $1 or $5 or $10 bill from 2010 onward. But I generally agree with most of the Rules posted above by Kanga. But it always depends on what note you are starting out with.
Condition is also a large part of determining value. It all depends on the individual note, but, your guide mostly covers the rarest banknote serial numbers.
Absolutely, condition is probably the #2 factor behind the specifics of the bill itself like a $1,000 bill or a dated Hawaii or North Africa or Black Eagle bill.
I would add that on national banknotes [especially small size banknotes] three or even two digit numbers generally add no value. Some scarcer banks issued less than a thousand sheets, so all the notes would be three digits or less! Of course, number one notes still command a big premium, and other single digits might have some premium.
Great information @kanga , thanks for sharing. Bob’s guide is a wonderful source for insider information as well as for ballpark estimates on values. I hope he gets a chance to update the guide, it’s one of my favorites.
Makes sense...when we talk about sub-100 and sub-1000 (even sub-10,000) serial numbers, we assume millions or tens of millions of notes printed.
Even if this note was considered rare, it would demand "ZERO PREMIUM" condition should always be considered first and foremost.
Last year at the Baltimore Whitman Show I talked to someone who was supposedly working with Bob on an update. If I remember I'll ask again at the Baltimore Whitman Show in March.
I've seen or bought or bid on all of those other unique variety of serial numbers, but I have never seen the 10 Million umberical increment (or even 1 Million with a 0 preceeding it).
I have been collecting $1 notes and writing Excel spreadsheets to look for squares, cubes, and other special sequences. It so happens that Pi 31415926 is special. e should be as well 27182818. And there's Planck's constant, Avagadro's number, and much more... No one seems to care. But, about 100 years ago, no one cared about Mintmarks.
Like the 10,000,000 (and even 1,000,000) numbers, I have never seen a bill advertised with those features. I do agree that a bill with Pi would be kinda cool.
Someone pin the $#!+ out of this thread... should be stop number one for questions about serial number value...
Mint marks and errors once had no value. Not too long ago, "first strike" and "early strike" meant nothing special in the market. Once upon a time, there were five grades of coin with "Uncirculated" being the top. Zero through 70 was just the relative dollar value of Early American Copper according to the kleptomaniac psychologist William Sheldon. Besides, who says what value anything has? Which price guide do you follow? One of my dealer friends has a stock answer for people who wave price guides at him. "You want that price, go to them. This one costs [so much]. (Or: "I am offering [this much].") Of course, people who publish price guides are not really offering those prices buy/sell, but just reporting what other people told them they once bought or sold for.