Paper Money Market: New U.S. Notes, New Collecting Opportunities
Current U.S. bank notes may be easy to overlook, but new signatures, print runs, and other varieties can create collecting opportunities hiding in plain sight.
New designs appearing many times in full color may make world bank note collecting appear to be more glamorous and interesting than U.S. bank notes. But once a collector gets “down in the weeds,” it becomes obvious why collecting U.S. bank notes remains more popular. The signatures, serial numbers, Federal Reserve districts they represent, or even the bank in whose name they were issued, and more matter.
If you examine auctions and fixed price lists, you may get the impression the most popular collecting areas are large-size and national U.S. bank notes. These are important areas of collecting, both getting much attention because of the prices realized by some of the rarities in these categories.
Small-size notes are not the red-headed stepchild, although you may get the false impression otherwise due to the lack of publicity many of the better notes receive. Especially small-size bank notes now in circulation should not be overlooked, as there are many exciting things to watch, even in the latest issues that are just being released.
While there is no semiquincentennial bank note to collect, the recent change to notes on which the U.S. president’s facsimile appears should catch everyone’s attention. How many of these “presidential” notes of each denomination will actually be released, and when? Will they be withdrawn at some later date once the presidency has changed? Will there be a $2 note bearing President Trump’s signature, since no $2 notes are currently included in either the 2026 Federal Reserve print order or the 2027 print order? Lots of intriguing questions. Lots of collectible notes about to enter circulation.
Obsolete notes are very collectible, but don’t overlook the new notes just now beginning to appear. There may be some “hot” collectibles to be had here too.
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