As some of you know, I work at a convenience store. I never looked for star notes until last week when I happened to notice one (I wasn't even sure what they looked like until I saw this one. In the last week, I've found 3 $1 star notes, 2 $5 star notes, and a $20 star note. Is this typical or am I having a lucky streak similar to the silver dime streak I had a few months ago?
It all depends on how much currency you look through. Working at a convenience store, you're bound to handle a lot of cash and probably find a good number of stars. For most modern print runs, between 1% to 3% of notes printed for any series were stars. I don't use cash a lot, so I might find a star note once a month in the money that I handle for day to day transactions. I've had days where I've looked through 3 straps of $1's (that's 3,000 notes) and didn't find a single star. Then there's been an ATM withdrawal for $40, and one of them was a GF 00066600* in gem uncirculated condition.
"Star Note: Replacement note and refers to the five pointed star preceding or following the serial number and indicates a note used to ‘replace’ notes misprinted or damaged in the production process. Approximately one percent, or less, of notes printed for any given series or district are Star notes." http://scottlindquist.com/guarantee-glossary/
My friend gave me this Series 1969 $1 star note. Notice the star is noticeably off center. I have been told that it is an error and possibly valuable.
As far I know, and have read. For any series printed. There is less than 1/2% of the total production of any series. They are printed first, and inserted as needed during production of the day. Of these, there are some districts which will have more, and some have less. So, some can be very hard to find, and acquire now, and later. So, I try to save all that I find. I have been lucky, and at banks, have come across them, just out of the bricks, and received many at times. Ask the tellers, where you bank, shop. Some will save them for you. Good hunting. Oh, one of the 1929 series, brown seals, were hand rubber stamped, and did not have stars, they are mushy looking numbers. These were done one at a time, and was very time consuming, and they did away with doing it.
