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Rare misprinted 1-dollar bill sells for $150,000: How many are in circulation?

Collectors are clambering to find examples of a batch of dollar bills which feature a printing error and now command high prices.

Collectors are clambering to find examples of a batch of dollar bills which feature a printing error and now command high prices.
Dado RuvicREUTERS

A little extra cash always comes in handy and some lucky people could be sitting on a small fortune without even realizing it. Coin and currency collectors in North America are willing to pay up to $150,000 for a rare $1 bill which features a printing error. A batch of dollar bills with errors came off the printing presses in 2014 and again in 2016 - on both occasions, the mistake went unnoticed at the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the notes went into circulation.

How many $1 bills worth $150,000 are currently in circulation?

According to information gathered by TyC Sports, there are approximately 6.4 million dollar bills which were issued with duplicate serial numbers and now avid currency collectors are seeking matching pairs.

The first batch of dollar bills with the serial number error was issued by the federal bank in New York state in 2014. Curiously, another identical run with the same error was issued by the Washington DC facility two years later.

$1 bills with errors which sell for $150,000: How do I know if I have one?

Up until now, only nine pairs of dollar bills with matching serial numbers have turned up which means that there must be millions still in circulation in the United States and, probably all over the world too.

To find out whether you have a $1 bill with the printing errors from 2014 and 2016, you need to closely look for several key characteristics. First of all, if it is a 2013 Series note, it must feature the large stamp of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with a capital ‘B’ in the centre - this can be found on the left side of the note. Secondly, the serial number (printed in green, which appears underneath the Federal Reserve Bank stamp) must end with a small, five-pointed star ★. And lastly, the serial numbers to look out for are from B00000001★ to B00250000★ and from B03200001★ to B09600000★.

A matching pair can reach between $20,000 and $150,000 depending on the condition. To help currency collectors find a matching pair of notes, Ed Zegers of Maryland and Karol Winograd of Florida started Project 2013B (also known as the Zegers/Winograd project) in which they have compiled a list of all the serial numbers submitted to them by fellow collectors. Have you got a matching pair or one with a specific serial number that a collector is willing to pay thousands for? It’s time to check those dollar bills in your wallet.

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