Coin Value Finder » 1976 $2 Bill Value: are “Non-Star”, “Star” type worth money?

1976 $2 Bill Value: are “Non-Star”, “Star” type worth money?

Have you found a $2 bill from 1976 in your pocket change? Wondering if it might be valuable? You’ve come to the right place!

We have everything you need to know about the 1976 $2 bill value. We’ll explain what it is that makes this note so interesting. And we’ll discover how to assess how much your bill might be worth.

Ready to learn more? Then let’s get started!

1976 $2 Bill Details

  • Category: Jefferson $2 bills
  • Width: 6 9/64 inches
  • Height: 2 39/64 inches
  • Weight: 1 gram
  • Obverse design: Thomas Jefferson
  • Obverse design date: 1928
  • Reverse design: Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence
  • Reverse design date: 1976
  • Composition: 75% cotton, 25% linen
  • Security features: Security fibers, raised printing
  • Total number produced: 590,720,000

1976 $2 Bill Value Chart

Type  Circulated Uncirculated 66  67 68 69
1976 Non-Star $2 Bill Value $3 $15 $50 $70 $175 $1,200
1976 Star $2 Bill Value $10 $30 $85 $150 $250 $2,000

1976 $2 Bill Values and Varieties Guides

1976 $2 Non-Star Bill Value      

1976 $2 Non-Star Bill

  • Type: 1976 Series Jefferson $2 Bills
  • Width: 6 9/64 inches
  • Height: 2 39/64 inches
  • Weight: 1 gram
  • Obverse design: Thomas Jefferson
  • Obverse design date: 1928
  • Reverse design: Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence
  • Reverse design date: 1976
  • Composition: 75% cotton, 25% linen
  • Security features: Security fibers, raised printing

If there’s no star after the security number on your $2 bill, it’s known as a “non-star bill”. These are the most common type of $2 bills.

Well over half a billion 1976 Series bills were printed. So even nearly 50 years on, they’re relatively easy to find. And that tends to keep prices modest.

The value of an individual $2 non-star bill depends on its condition. The better the condition, the rarer and the more valuable the note.

The independent banknote graders the PMG (Paper Money Guaranty) grade notes from 1 to 70.

70 denotes a banknote with no evidence of handling at 5x magnification. The margins and registration must be perfectly centered. And there must be no sign that the note has been processed to improve its condition.

Near the other end of the scale, a note graded 4 (“good”) will show signs of heavy wear. It will be limp, and it may have pieces missing.

In average circulated condition, a non-star note will be worth around $3. That’s just a little more than its face value.

Crisp, uncirculated 1976 $2 bills are still easy to get your hands on. Expect one of those to cost around $15.

And uncirculated bills in the very finest condition will be worth more. Non-star 1976 $2 bills graded 68 are valued at around $175. And an almost perfect grade 69 non-star $2 bill is worth about $1,200.

Other features can also affect value.

Some collectors specialize in notes with interesting serial numbers. They’ll be willing to be pay a premium for those. One 1976 $2 non-star bill with the serial number D00888800A was presented at auction in 2009. It was graded 63 and sold for $660.

If you have an original pack of $2 bills, the serial numbers will be sequential. That’s highly desirable to collectors, so don’t break them up! One original pack of 100 1976 $2 star notes sold at auction in 2013 for $15,275.

The presence of post office stamps can also increase a banknote’s value. The 1976 $2 bills issued on April 13, the first day of issue, could be taken to a post office and stamped. The stamp carried the date and the name of the city where the post office was located.

Generally speaking, a circulated bill with a stamp like this will be worth around $4. The value can be a little higher if it’s stamped with an unusual city.

1976 $2 Star Bill Value          

1976 $2 Star Bill

  • Type: 1976 Series Jefferson $2 Bills
  • Width: 6 9/64 inches
  • Height: 2 39/64 inches
  • Weight: 1 gram
  • Obverse design: Thomas Jefferson
  • Obverse design date: 1928
  • Reverse design: Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence
  • Reverse design date: 1976
  • Composition: 75% cotton, 25% linen
  • Security features: Security fibers, raised printing

Bills with a star after the serial number are considerably rarer than those without. The star is used to denote a replacement note. That’s one that’s been printed in place of a bill that was produced with a fault of some kind.

No two banknotes can have the same serial number. The star therefore distinguishes the note from the original that was misprinted. And it helps the currency-issuing organization to keep track of how many notes have been produced.

Just like non-star notes, the value of a star note will depend on its condition. Their greater rarity, however, means that even in circulated condition, a 1976 $2 star note will be worth around $10.

In uncirculated condition, that value triples. And bills in the finest condition start at around $85 for an example graded 66. Go up a point, and that almost doubles to $150. And at 68, the value is around $250.

A pristine 1976 $2 star note will be worth around $2,000 – a whopping 1,000 times its face value.

1976 $2 Bill History

1976 $2 Bill History

The first $2 bills were issued way back in March 1862. These were what’s known as Legal Tender Notes, and they bore the image of Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was one of the Founding Fathers and the first ever Secretary of the US Treasury.

Several changes were made to the design over the years. And in 1869 the portrait of Hamilton was replaced with one of Thomas Jefferson. The image of Jefferson appears on the 1976 $2 bills, and he is still depicted on modern $2 bills.

The first $2 bills were much larger than today’s versions, measuring over 7.4 inches by 3.1 inches. The size was reduced to just over 6 inches by just under 2.5 inches in 1928, and Jefferson’s portrait was cropped to fit.

The back of the 1928 bill showed Monticello, Jefferson’s home. The Treasury seal and serial numbers were printed in red.

The $2 bill continued to be printed for the next three decades, but production declined during the 1950s. With the bills becoming scarce, people started to save those they came across. That in turn meant even fewer $2 bills in circulation. Their production eventually ceased in 1966.

Ten years later it was the bicentenary of the Declaration of Independence. New $2 bills were issued to mark the occasion. But they also had a more practical purpose: saving money. They cost about the same amount to produce as a $1 bill, but fewer were required.

The 1976 $2 bills had some changes to the design of the earlier versions. The treasury seal and serial numbers were printed in green instead of red. And the reverse used the image of John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence to commemorate the bicentenary.

Almost 600 million $2 bills were produced for the 1976 series, with the final notes actually printed in 1978. Other $2 bills series are 1995, 2003, 2003A, 2009, 2013 and 2019A.

The denomination remains legal tender today. But because the notes are relatively scarce, their use can lead to confusion. A man in Baltimore was jailed in 2005 for trying to pay with $2 bills the store and police wrongly believed were fakes.

1976 $2 Bill Grading

As we’ve seen, a number of different factors can influence the value of your $2 bill. But one of the most critical is its condition.

Whether the bill is circulated or uncirculated, crisp or limp, whole or with pieces missing, makes a major difference to value. An independent grading from an assessor like the PMG gives collectors the reassurance that they’re getting what they’re paying for.

The PMG grades notes from 1 to 70. And it also uses other designations to provide more information.

A bill can be designated “EPQ”, which stands for “exceptional paper quality”. That means the note is in entirely original condition. In other words, it hasn’t been cleaned or processed in any other way to give the appearance of a higher grade.

Banknotes can also be given a star. (Not to be confused with the star that appears at the end of the serial numbers of replacement notes.) The PMG awards a star to exceptionally attractive banknotes. These may have strong plate or overprint embossing, great quality paper, and vibrant ink colors.

1976 $2 Bill Errors

1976 $2 Bill, Mismatched Serial Numbers

1976 $2 Bill, Mismatched Serial Numbers

All banknotes have serial numbers to identify them. But a rare error during the production of one 1976 $2 bill saw it end up with two different serial numbers on its obverse.

On the left of Jefferson’s portrait, the note bore the number B59208497A. But the number to the right of Jefferson had one different digit. In place of the “4” three digits from the end, there was a “5” instead.

The serial numbers are amongst the final elements of the bill to be printed. By this time, the faces and backs are already in place. The serial numbers are printed using wheels. And it was probably a stuck wheel that accounted for the one digit difference between the two numbers.

This note was offered for sale at a specialist currency auction in Denver in August 2017. It was certified as authentic by the PMG (Paper Money Guaranty) and graded as uncirculated 64. It did not, however, have the EPQ designation. It crossed the block for $353.

1976 $2 Bill, Doubled Overprint

With some 1976 $2 bills, an error was made in printing the treasury seal, Federal Reserve numbers and serial numbers. All three design elements were overprinted, creating double images in each case.

One such banknote came up for auction in 2019. it was graded 65 by the PMG and had the EPQ designation. It sold for an incredible $18,000.

1976 $2 Bill, Inverted Third Printing

1976 $2 Bill, Inverted Third Printing

Another error was made in the third printing of other 1976 $2 bills. This printing is the one that adds the serial numbers, Federal Reserve numbers and treasury seal. And this time, these were printed upside down!

The result were $2 bills that immediately look wrong. One example, graded 66 by the PMG and with the EPQ designation, was presented at auction in 2021. It sold for $2,760.

1976 $2 Bill, Blank Reverse

Very occasionally, one side of the bill escapes the printing press entirely. That happened with one $2 bill produced in 1976.

Although an uncirculated note, it wasn’t in the very finest condition – the PMG had graded it 63. It did, however, have the EPQ designation. And it sold at auction in 2021 for $3,960.

This YouTube video from Treasure Town provides examples of all these errors and more.

FAQs

Is a 1976 $2 bill worth anything?

Despite their age, $2 bills from the 1976 series are still relatively easy to come by. An average note in circulated condition won’t be worth much more than its face value. The value of an uncirculated non-star note starts at about $15.

But notes in pristine condition, or those with interesting serial numbers or unusual errors, can be worth far more. And bills in great condition that also have an error or appealing serial number are highly desirable to collectors. These are rare, but can be worth thousands of dollars.

How do I know if my $2 bill is worth anything?

The easiest way is to have it professionally graded. But you’ll need to pay a fee for that, and unless your $2 bill is something special, it won’t be worth it.

To get an idea, it’s a good idea to start by looking at the condition of your bill. Is it crisp and unlined or limp and torn? The more it looks like new, the better the chance it’s worth something. Be warned though – unscrupulous dealers can process notes to improve their appearance.

Other things to look out for are interesting serial numbers. Sequential numbers or numbers that form patterns can add value to your $2 bill.

And look out for errors too. Are any of the design elements overprinted or upside down? Is there any difference between the serial numbers that appear on the bill? Or is one side even completely blank?

Errors like this – as long as they’re the real deal – can add significantly to the value of your $2 bill.

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