I recently found an old style $10 bill in good shape, so I kept it. I later looked at it closer and noticed that it is a 1969A! It's surreal seeing John Connally's signature on a bill. It's going into my keeper box.
Once again people are starting to loosen up on all the bills they put away about 30 years ago. They need the money now and if you keep looking you will find lots of older bills coming out of the wood work.
The poor economy has made it possible to obtain coins at face value that you would not normally be able to get outside a coin shop. As Dean said, it's going to get worse (better) because coin collections are usually sold/spent after bank accounts, cash, cash from selling things like cars....the coin collection is often the bottom of the barrel.
Hopefully, the person spent the 1969A $10 from currency they had stashed away for a rainy day, and it was probably not part of a collection. I do not anticipate spending ANY of my collection at face, but then again, my collection does not contain any notes comparable to the note described. Keep it if you like it, and maybe 20-30 years from now it might be worth a little more than face, but my guess is it would gain more value in a interest bearing account.
I don't care if it's worth a penny more than $10. I keep it because it's old and that it is a reminder of a time that American currency was classy ($1 and $2 notwithstanding.) It's a good looking bill, while the current ten is an abomination. I like symmetry in money, and the old bills were symmetrical designs, and I like the smaller photographs in the middle better than the current off center photos. I'm afraid that it's only going to get worse.
