How can I tell if old US currency is usable? [closed]
![How can I tell if old US currency is usable? [closed] - Pile of American paper money on black surface How can I tell if old US currency is usable? [closed] - Pile of American paper money on black surface](/assets/images/how_can_i_tell_if_old_us_currency_is_usable_closed_0.jpeg)
I have American bill notes. I don't know if I still can use it or not. How can I find out?
Best Answer
The note in the image is definitely not genuine. Taking it to a bank would be a waste of time.
Federal reserve notes are printed entirely in green and black. There should be no red. United States notes were printed with red seals, but the design was rather different, and they of course did not bear the title "Federal Reserve Note."
The letter in the left seal, which should be black, should match the first letter of the serial number, but they do not match. The text above that seal should be black. The 100 superimposed on the right seal should be black. The right seal itself should be green. For some examples, have a look at Wikipedia
As noted by others, the signatures indicate that the note should say series 1993, but it does not.
The red elements appear to have been lifted from a genuine 1930s federal reserve note and printed in monochrome red instead of the original color.
As noted by others, genuine US banknotes remain valid indefinitely, but this note is neither genuine nor valid.
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Can old dollars still be used?
Paper Money But they are still legal tender and may still be in circulation. All U.S. currency issued since 1861 is valid and redeemable at its full face value.Can I still use the old $100 bill?
Note that it is U.S. government policy that all designs of Federal Reserve notes remain legal tender, or legally valid for payments, regardless of when they were issued. This policy includes all denominations of Federal Reserve notes, from 1914 to present as per 31 U.S.C. \xa7 5103.How Long Does US dollar take to expire?
How long is the lifespan of U.S. paper money?DenominationEstimated Lifespan*$16.6 years$54.7 years$105.3 years$207.8 years3 more rows•Mar 9, 2020How do I exchange old USD notes?
Exchange the money. The actual exchange process is very simple. The bank will simply take in your old notes and issue new ones. If you are exchanging a foreign currency for dollars, the bank should also provide a receipt that includes the exchange rate used and any fees.A guide to currency collecting
More answers regarding how can I tell if old US currency is usable? [closed]
Answer 2
Genuine US currency is always usable -- no US bill or coin has ever been de-monitized. You may have trouble getting a business to accept older bills because of the absence of anti-counterfeiting measures, but banks should be willing to accept them. For exceptionally old money, you may be able to find a collector who will pay considerably over face value for it.
Unfortunately, what you've got there is a low-quality counterfeit, with a mix of elements from very different time periods.
Answer 3
Mr. Franklin looks so youthful......
That looks like the 1929 Federal Reserve series (which was printed for decades). The Secretary of the Treasury signature is Lloyd Bentsen, and his tenure was 1993-1994 (December). The Treasurer is Mary Ellen Withrow, March 1994. So that gives us a fairly narrow window of the banknote's vintage.
The condition looks like Fair - folds, wrinkles, small tears. So given that it is barely 25 years old it is worth face value. That's assuming it isn't counterfeit.
Take it to a large bank (in the USA), ask them to verify if it is real money or not. If it is, the bank will be happy to give you newer / smaller banknotes.
If you do not live in the USA, good luck. Rather unlikely your local bank will accept it for exchange, simply because this denomination was a very popular one for the forgers.
If you have access to a black (ultraviolet) light, try it on the banknote. If it glows brightly it is most certainly fake. Real money never lights up under UV light, but you can see things like flourescent threads in the paper.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Karolina Grabowska, Karolina Grabowska, Matthias Groeneveld, Karolina Grabowska