$2 plus a "why" question with no answer. Depends on the stamp (we need photos) - most likely (guess) is it's a teller's stamp, from the top bill in a strap once upon a time.
As others have said, without pics it is very difficult to provide an accurate answer, however, it sounds like your $2 was a first day of issue cancellation. Does it have a 13 cent postage stamp on it? During the Bicentennial, there was a big to-do when the BEP issued an updated $2. There was some sort of program where you could bring a newly issued $2 note to the Post Office, buy a stamp, and they would cancel it. BTW: I believe the first day was April 13, but yours was probably brought to the PO a few days later Many collectors and non-collectors did this and there are lots out there. Most probably sell for <$5 assuming it’s still in crisp, unc condition
The date was April 13, 1976. It should have a date-stamped 13-cent stamp. You can find crisp-uncirculated bills for $7 all-day every-day. For an April 15 date-stamp you will get $2 at best. I have one of these bills. I think it's one of the coolest in my collection. That's Me. Many hard-core old-school currency collectors feel these are damaged bills not worthy of collection. LOL. That's them.
To me, if it was uncirculated and not stamped, it would have a little value over face. The stamp means nothing to me, and it just damages the bill. But I can see how some collectors may want the stamp as a provenance of authenticity as this bill was reissued after a hiatus of a number of years. The problem is the $2 bill is useless in our society. They could stop printing it tomorrow and there would be zero impact.
It was the rage back then when these first came out. My grandparents got my sister and I some of them stamped and cancelled. To me though it was just spending cash as I was in my early teen years and money was for spending, not saving or collecting.
i have 3 of these an i believe i paid $5 each for them some years back, as a currency collector these are notes i just had to have in my collection..
Stamp collectors tend to hate them also, usually in every general collection of that era if you buy a collection.
LOL ... it's really funny how anyone could spend any energy hating any part of our hobby. ... Crack me up.
As my local club's treasurer, I get $2 bills just about every month from collectors and dealers. All of them seem to be crisp Uncirculated. The main thing I have to do with them is separate the $2 bills from the rest of the money when I deposit it in the bank. The club bank as a currency counting machine, and it won't recognzie the $2 bills. They have to be handled separately. If the collectors and dealers are spending them, you know that they are worth no more than $2.
I make it a point to get any excess $2 the bank happens to have at the time, mostly for my grand-nieces & nephews, but I'll also leave them for a tip when I dine out. It's fun to watch the expressions of some of the people... and when I come back they typically remember me. Yeah, I'm THAT guy. Have maybe a dozen of the stamped ones, most in crisp uncirculated... I stash away any $2 start notes I get (in crisp condition).
I got one of these at the time and had a 13-cent stamp cancelled at my local post office. Still have it. I am not certain of this but I think it was released on April 13 because that's Jefferson's birthday.
