How much is a rare $5 bill worth on the auction market?

According to the Federal Reserve in 2022, it is estimated that there were about 3.5 billion $5 dollar bills in circulation and for one of these to cost more than its original denomination it must have peculiar characteristics such as: be old, have some error in its printing, detail in its serial number or be difficult to find.

For collectors, identifying these imperfections is usually simple, but for a common citizen, it is likely that they have a bill or coin worth thousands of dollars in their wallet and have not yet realized it, which is why here we give you a guide on what are the rarest $5 bills that are worth a lot of money on the auction market.

$5 dollars 1861 “For the” I will pay on demand (Fr. 1a)

In 2007, during an auction, one of these bills in good condition sold for $138,000. What makes it so expensive and unique is that in the first printings before the year the “for” was written for that reason the first copies are worth a lot of money.

$5 dollars 1861 St. Louis Demand Note (Fr. 5)

During 2018, one of the copies was auctioned for $81,000 dollars, these were one of the first paper currencies printed in the United States; That is why they are so rare, valuable and coveted by collectors, and historically they helped finance the Civil War.

Treasury note of $5 dollars from 1890 (Fr. 360)

The 1890 Treasury Note is characterized as one of the first largest bills. So far, it is estimated that there are 14 of the 300,000 printed tickets, In 2013, one of them sold for $282,000.

1914 $5 Blue Seal Federal Reserve Note (Fr. 871a)

In 2006, one of two blue stamp notes with serial number one sold for $115,000. The rarity lies precisely in that version with the blue seal and that is what makes it currently worth thousands of dollars.

1914 $5 Red Seal Federal Reserve Note (Fr. 843a)

One characteristic that can make a bill worth thousands of dollars is having some detail in the serial number, for example if the serial number is low. In the case of the 1914 $5 dollar bill with a red seal, there are only 13 and one of them sold for approximately $109,000 in 2011.

Keep reading:

• Old $100 bills that can be worth more than six figures
• The 5 Rarest $50 Bills That Can Be Worth Thousands of Dollars, According to Auction Website
• What are 5 copper coins worth thousands of dollars?