One of those $20 bills you have could be worth a lot more than $20.
Collectors are valuing certain bills — depending on their date and how they were printed — at tens of thousands of dollars, according to the U.S. Currency Auctions (USCA) website.
The $20 bill, along with much of our paper money, dates back to the 1860s with the establishment of “United States notes” or “Legal Tender notes,” nicknamed greenbacks, according to the U.S. Currency Education program.
Since then, $20 bills have undergone numerous redesigns, with the most recent being in 2003. The 2003 $20 was the first note to get the green and peach background now common on most bills, and has embedded security thread that glows green when illuminated by UV light, the Currency Education program said.
Bills dating back to the 1860s with a red U.S. Treasury seal from around this era can be worth up to $8,500, according to the USCA.
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But the big paydays come a bit later.
An uncirculated $20 silver certificate from 1886 with a large red U.S. Treasury seal can be worth more than $22,500, with circulated versions still worth up to $11,000, according to the USCA.
A brown seal on the same note is worth up to $17,500 if it is uncirculated, and up to $8,000 if circulated.
A small red seal is OK, too, but is only worth about $1,000 to $3,500, depending on its condition.
The most valuable $20 of all is the 1878 silver certificate, valued at between $10,000 and $35,000. Look for the red seal.
More recent bills can also be worth extra cash, the most recent of which are certain bills printed in 1996, which can be worth more than $500.
The full list can be viewed here.
