It seems that the old style bills have disappeared very quickly. I mean the 5s,10s,20s,50s,and 100s that the used to make up until the early 90s. Bills get pulled out by the govt so much quicker than coins. The other day I counted $12,000 in 20s at work and in the entire 600 there wasnt a single 20 that was of the old design. When I do come across an old one its usually well worn so I am thinking how long before these become worth a premium ? Or are they already worth a premium in nice condition ? I cant really see anywhere where these are being sold so I am guessing no premium so far, but they have gotten very hard to find and soon there wont be any out there. Anybody saving these if you find any in good condition ? I have a 10 from 1985 that is in very nice shape. Any thoughts on whether these are going to be at a premium in the next 15-20 years ? Thanks
Goldcollector, If they are in good shape keep them. Might want to buy some literature on them as well. If you're counting $12,000 on a regular basis chances are you'll run into some good stuff both newer and old. I used to count - you guessed it - $12,000 every day back BEFORE they changed the design. I pulled out thousands of dollars worth of notes and yes, they do carry a premium. Sounds like you're in a position that most currency collectors envy. I know it's the ONLY thing I miss about my days of running a truck stop. I have, for instance, pulled one dollar notes from circulation that now retail at $85. Not bad for a buck. Let me know and I can recommend a few books. clembo
yeah sure that would be great if you could give me a couple references. I have found many many notes with 2 unique serial numbers but I have never found the coveted single serial number note. The closest I have is a 77555555, amazingly 5's seem to be my lucky number on this. I have several notes ending with 6 consecutive 5's. Dont have time to ckeck on the serial numbers, but I try to check as many as possible. I have just noticed that while I can still find coins from the 30's, 40's and 50's quite easily, the old style bills that are only 15-20 years old seem to be gone. I have a pretty nice 10 from 1985 but it would probably cost me $15 to get it graded and I dont know if there is even enough of a premium to make it worth. Still I make sure to bring $100-$150 to work with me every day just so I can buy something that I might come across. Thanks
Goldcollector, Here's a highly suggested book. Standard Guide to Small-Size U.S. Paper oney 1928 to date by John Schwartz and Scott Lindquist. This book used to be referred to as Oakes and Schartz. I'm sure you can find this book on ebay or maybe even google it. Just make sure you get the 7th edition as it's most current. As for the serial numbers you pointed out those are really good! They would fetch a premium on ebay as "fancy serial numbers". Can never say how much. As for grading currency the Schwartz and Lindquist has a rough guide to it. This site retails a lot of modern stuff. Nice guy too but realize he is getting full retail but it will give you and idea as to what can be had in currency IF you know what to look for. http://www.fstctycurr.com/ Any other questions feel free to PM me. clembo
Due to the added security features, it is easier for the Federal Reserve to automate the removal of older style bills. Second, paper bills have a much shorter life than coin. With ones and twenties only lasting less than 2 years on average. They end up in the unfit pile to be sent back for destruction. You cannot find a bank that seperates uncurrent coin anymore, even if it's a blank disc. If the machine counted it, it goes back in the bag with the rest to be rolled and reissued.
Considering that the life span of a $20 is about 2 years. It's easy to understand why you are not finding them in any great numbers.
Here's a nice Series 1996 $20 that came out my local ATM this morning. It's as fresh and crisp as the day it was printed! And it has sort of a neat serial number. I added the word "SAMPLE" to discourage anyone unscrupulous out there. It's not really an "old" bill, but you don't see too many of these in this fresh of a condition anymore, especially in the ATM machines:
i only keep them if they are from the 1970's or older. any old style star note, or interesting serial number i save. or if they are CU and don't have a center fold. they made old style notes up to 2000.
