What is a Two Dollar Bill Star Note?

The two-dollar bill has quite the colorful history, with many changes and alterations occurring over its over 150 year lifespan. It was even discontinued for a ten year period between 1966 and the 1976 bicentennial. Consequently, there are many different forms of two-dollar bills, and thusly, many different values of the various incarnations of the popular note. One of the more desirable, and of course valuable, of the bills is what is commonly referred to as the "Star Note". But what is a two-dollar bill star note you might ask? Well, for the most part it’s just a two-dollar bill, but with a unique spot in history, and perhaps a somewhat elevated value due to its rarity.

The star note, as it is referred, is a US currency note that was a reprint of a part of an original series that was misprinted or had some problem in the printing process. These star notes were then used to maintain the correct number of notes in a serial number sequence. The star note is referred to as such because it literally has a star (*) in the prefix or the suffix of the serial number. These bills are obviously much rarer than regular notes, and as a consequence will usually be of a considerably increased value from face. Although these notes are often more difficult to come by, packs star notes are sometimes made available to the public in such cases where the existing supply is more than what is needed. If you come across a two-dollar bill, and perhaps any bill for that matter, that has a star in the serial number; it just might be worth it to take a look at what your specific bill is worth.

The most important aspect to take into consideration when determining value is undoubtedly the graded condition of the bill. That is to say, that a 1976 star note in shabby condition won’t bring anywhere near as much as one that is in perfect shape. That said, any star note bill should fetch more than the face value unless it’s severely damaged of otherwise diminished in some significant way. This article has an excellent rundown of the various graded quality certifications for currency notes. But now let’s get back to the initial question of what is a two- dollar bill star note.

Indeed, star notes have fetched some of the highest prices paid for modern currency notes, so it’s no wonder that they are extremely popular with collectors. Another interesting bit of trivia about star notes is that they were also substituted for the last note in a block in order to avoid a serial with eight zeros. This is no longer the case however, as these days those higher numbered sheets are reserved for selling to collectors.