Some $5 Bills Can Be Worth Over $2,000 — That's a 'Solid' Profit
Sometimes a $5 bill is not just a $5 bill.
TikTok influencer BlueRidgeSilverHound (real name Shaun) once showcased a crumpled $5 bill from 1988 that actually netted a whopping $2,040 at a Heritage Auction.
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That Lincoln bill contained what is called a “solid” serial number: “G 88888888 A.” That means all digits are identical. Only about one in 11 million pieces of paper tender are printed in that unique way, according to The Penny Hoarder.
“I’ve been told on a number of occasions that rough circulated notes with some of these fancy serial numbers and errors aren’t worth anything,” Shaun said.
Well, the auction price of that particular bill certainly debunked that idea.
Unique Does Not Mean Perfect
Another myth: The condition of unique bills does not devalue them.
Bill No. “G 88888888 A,” in fact, contained an ink stain at the top. But it did not come from the original printing process, so it did not affect the collector’s value of the note.
That isn’t the only $5 bill that turned out to be worth a pretty penny more. In 2008, another one featuring a solid serial number sold for over $2,400 in a Heritage Auction.
Bills with seven identical numbers out of the eight also are considered valuable – though not nearly as much as the notes with “solid” serial numbers.
The very valuable lesson here: No matter how beat-up your currency appears to be, check the serial numbers. You never know when you might end up with a “solid” profit.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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