Man who found a 'super cool' $5 bill was stunned when people told him its value could 'skyrocket'

A man was pleasantly surprised to learn that his weird-looking $5 bill could be a family heirloom. Justin Rivera shared an image of the bill on Reddit's forum r/MildlyInteresting and was told by users that it could be interesting for collectors. Experts shared with Newsweek that the bill has the potential to appreciate in value exponentially, once collectors take interest. 

Here's what makes the $5 bill so special

Rivera told Newsweek that he discovered the $5 bill while making an offering at a Bible study session. The bill had a major printing error. It seemed "super cool" so Rivera decided to keep it safe. The note features a wide left margin with the print pushed extremely to the right, leaving no margin on that side.

His post on Reddit went viral with several users speculating the value of the unique note. "Misprints and error notes that got into circulation can be valuable, and appreciated over time," suggested u/twcau. 

Jesse Kraft, assistant curator at the American Numismatic Society, told Newsweek that it could indeed be true. While the note looks cool, Kraft said that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing or the Federal Reserve didn't consider the error major enough to prevent it from going into circulation. So he wasn't sure how much the value of the note could increase.

Rivera's $5 bill is an example of a misalignment error and the value of such bills is limited, Kraft suggested. He added that since the bill wasn't in crisp condition, it could also reduce its value. 

Kraft also noted that apart from the misalignment, the note's serial number indicates that it is a replacement note. The star in the number means it was printed to replace another note that may have had major errors or was damaged. 

"The $5 bill in the image you provided is not normal, but not terribly valuable either," he said. However, he did mention that the value could increase exponentially, if two collectors take interest in the note, at the same time. Thus, all that's needed for the bill's value to balloon is a bidding war.

Rivera appreciated Kraft's evaluation and found it amazing that his note could hold much more than its face value. He told Newsweek that since there is hope that the value would appreciate in the future, he won't be spending it.

Other valuable $5 bills

Apart from the anomalies, there is something called a solid serial number that can also boost any bill's value. In solid serial numbers, all digits are identical. According to GOBankingRates, $5 bills with the solid serial numbers "G88888888A” or "B55555555C" could be worth thousands of dollars. 

The Penny Hoarder mentions that there are about 11 million such $5 bills that were printed with solid serial numbers, thus it is worth looking into wallets and savings. Depending on the condition, such notes could fetch up to $2,000 from collectors.

In case anyone comes across a note with a solid serial number or other rare characteristics, it is recommended to have it professionally appraised by an expert or at a local coin shop.