Your $5 bill in your wallet could be worth thousands if it has these key details
Emily Brown
Featured Image Credit: Getty/Tetra Images/Getty/Boy_Anupong
Cash is practically an ancient relic these days, but it turns out the long-forgotten $5 notes you have lying around could actually be worth a lot more than you think.
In a world where you can pay for pretty much everything with a swipe of your card, it can be a bit cumbersome to carry around cash - why do you think people get so excited about dresses with pockets?
It's much easier to slot a card into your phone case, meaning change and small notes can sometimes be left to gather dust on the counter, or live in your wallet until you need to throw someone a small tip.
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But before you do that, it's worth taking a closer look for one specific detail on any notes you have.
There are hundreds of millions of bank notes in circulation right now, but a rare few of them are actually worth hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars.
I'm sure you wouldn't forget about that kind of cash sitting on your counter.
The worth of the bills can be determined by looking at their serial numbers, with GOBankingRates identifying certain numbers which could be worth the big bucks to collectors.
The numbers you're looking for are the ones with 'solid' numbers, for example 'G88888888A' or 'B55555555C'.
They can be found written in dark green numbers on the top-left and top-right corners, and it's the fact that all the numbers in the serial are identical that makes them desirable.
TikToker Shaun, who goes by the handle BlueRidgeSilverHound, gave an example as he showed a $5 bill from 1988 sell for a staggering $2,040 in a Heritage Auction in 2022.
But while some of the notes sell for over $2,000 as collectors strive to get their hands on them, you shouldn't start thinking about quitting your job and selling all the $5 notes you can get your hands on just yet.
That's because, according to The Penny Hoarder, only about one in 11 million $5 notes have a solid serial numbers.
Still, with approximately 826 million $5 notes in circulation, they've got to be out there somewhere!
Plus, it's not just $5 notes you can make money off - 'solid' serial numbers on any bill could be worthwhile to collectors.
If you are lucky enough to come across a bill with a solid serial number, it's recommended that you head to a coin shop to have it professionally appraised so you don't end up selling it for less than it's worth.