A seemingly normal dollar bill can be worth up to $500 because it is missing a key design element.
Most people don’t give bills and coins a second look, but they could be missing a valuable mistake.
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Coin and currency expert Eric Miller (@thecoinchannel) teaches people on TikTok how to spot printing errors and defects that make a bill or coin worth more.
In one of his most recent videoshe showed a $1 bill with an obvious error that many people wouldn’t pay attention to.
The note had the serial number printed once on the left side, but was missing on the right side, under the word “America.”
“Who’s really going to pay attention to this?” Miller admitted it, but asked viewers to check their accounts.
He had an example of one that sold for $395 on eBay, but said it could be worth more if appraised.
O Professional Coin Sorting Service has a questionnaire on its website that can be filled out to evaluate any bill.
A certified note graded by PCGS sold for $504.
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Serial numbers on bills can add a lot of value to the dollar.
In another video, Miller explained how to identify a one-dollar bill worth $2,300.
Banknotes of any denomination can have a solid serial number, which occurs when all digits are the same.
This phenomenon appears on nearly one in every 11 million bills printed and are generally worth more than $500, according to The penny hoarder.
Earlier this year, a follower sent Miller a video of what they called “the devil’s $20 bill.”
Its serial number was six, representing what some people call “the number of the beast.”
“Serial numbers like this can be found in any denomination and they are all worth a lot of money,” Miller said.
“These are collected by so many people.”
A $20 bill with the serial number of all five sold for $2,350 at auction and an ungraded one sold for $1,375.
What is a data break or error on a coin?
What causes these defects in coins and why are they so rare to find?
A die break, also known as a ruminant, is an error in a coin that forms when a die (a metal piece used to strike a coin) is missing a piece near the edge.
When the dies hit the coins, they undergo strong impact and pressure and the metal from the blank part of the coin, known as the planchet, overlaps the area left by the missing piece of the die.
Coins with such deformities are rare thanks to the U.S. Mint’s strict quality control measures.
When such errors occur, they are often detected and destroyed.
However, those that slip through the net become huge collectors’ items that are worth far more than their face value.
Source: Littleton Coin Company
Some banknotes have a star after the serial number, which is also valuable.
The symbol means the note is a replacement note. If a note is damaged or poorly printed before it goes into circulation, another one will be printed.
The star replaces the letter normally found at the end of a serial number, informing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing that it is a reprint.
A starred note sold for a whopping $3,700 on eBay last year.
“People think I’m crazy when I look at the numbers on each note I receive; one day I’ll be able to show them that I’m not,” one viewer commented on the video.
Collectors are also on the hunt for a “crooked” $2 bill, worth $400.
And a coin that was passed down through a family for generations ended up being worth $30,000.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
