You find an old one hundred dollar bill tucked inside a book from your grandfather’s library. It looks weird. The portrait of Benjamin Franklin is tiny, centered in an oval, and there’s a distinct lack of the "Blue Ribbon" 3D security feature we’ve all grown used to since 2013. Your first instinct might be to worry if it’s even legal tender anymore.
Honestly, it’s fine. Every piece of United States currency issued since 1861 is technically still valid at face value. You could walk into a grocery store and buy a hundred bucks' worth of steaks with a bill from 1950, and legally, that transaction is sound. But there is a massive gap between "legal tender" and "easy to spend." Try handing a "small head" Benjamin to a teenage cashier at a fast-food joint. They’ll probably stare at it like it’s Monopoly money or call a manager over to squint at the paper quality.
The reality of old one hundred dollar bills is a mix of numismatic value, counterfeiting fears, and the slow evolution of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Why People Freak Out Over Small Head Benjamins
The biggest change in our lifetime happened in 1996. Before that, the $100 bill hadn't changed much for decades. It featured a small, centered portrait of Franklin. In '96, they enlarged the portrait and moved it off-center to make room for a watermark. This was the "Series 1996" redesign.
Why does this matter? Because the older the bill, the fewer security features it has.
Old bills lack the color-shifting ink that turns from green to black (or copper to green in newer versions). They don't have the 3D security ribbon. They don't have the microprinting that requires a magnifying glass to see. Because of this, they are much easier to counterfeit using modern printers. This makes businesses extremely nervous. If you take an old $100 bill to a local gas station, don't be surprised if they refuse it. They aren't legally required to take your cash—private businesses can set their own policies on which denominations or series they accept.
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The Series 1990 Turning Point
In 1990, the government added two major features: a security thread and microprinting. If you have a bill from 1990 or later, it has a polyester thread embedded in the paper that glows pink under ultraviolet light. It also says "USA 100" repeated along the strip. If your bill is from 1988 or earlier? It has none of that. It’s just high-quality cotton and linen paper.
Is Your Old Bill Worth More Than $100?
This is where it gets interesting for your wallet. Most circulated $100 bills from the 1960s, 70s, or 80s are just worth $100. They were printed by the billions. However, certain "Star Notes" or specific series can command a premium from collectors.
A "Star Note" is a bill with a small star at the end of the serial number. This indicates it was a replacement bill printed because the original sheet was damaged. Collectors love these. Depending on the rarity of the run, a Series 1950 $100 Star Note in crisp condition might fetch $150 to $200 on the secondary market.
Condition is everything. A wrinkled, ink-stained bill from 1934 is still just a hundred dollars. But a "Choice Uncirculated" 1934 bill—meaning it looks like it was printed yesterday with sharp corners and no folds—could be worth significantly more. Specifically, the 1934 Gold Certificate (with a gold seal) or the 1928 series are the ones that really make collectors sit up.
Gold Certificates and Blue Seals
If the seal on the right side of the bill is Gold or Blue instead of the standard Green, you’ve hit a small jackpot.
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- Gold Seals: These were used during World War II in North Africa and Hawaii. The idea was that if the enemy captured large amounts of cash, the US could just declare those specific "Gold Seal" bills worthless.
- Blue Seals: These are Silver Certificates. You used to be able to trade them for actual silver. Today, they are collector's items.
The Counterfeit Problem and International Travel
If you are traveling abroad, leave the old one hundred dollar bills at home.
In many countries—especially in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, or Africa—money changers will flat-out refuse any US currency older than the 2013 "Big Blue" series. Even if the bill is 100% authentic, the lack of modern security features makes it too risky for them. They don't want to get stuck with a high-quality "Supernote" counterfeit. These "Supernotes" were incredibly sophisticated fakes, allegedly produced by state actors, that mimicked the pre-2013 bills almost perfectly.
Even in the US, banks are often the only place that will take these without a fuss. And even then, the teller might have to run it through a high-end currency scanner rather than just using the standard "counterfeit pen."
By the way, those yellow counterfeit detector pens? They are basically useless on very old bills. Those pens react to the starch in wood-based paper. US currency is made of 75% cotton and 25% linen. Over time, an old bill might pick up starch from being in a pocket with a receipt or being washed with laundry, causing the pen to give a "false positive" for a counterfeit.
How to Handle an Old $100 Bill Today
Don't just spend it at a self-checkout machine. Most of those machines are calibrated for the newer series and will spit an old "small head" bill right back at you.
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Instead, do a quick visual check:
- Look for the Star: Check the serial number.
- Check the Seal Color: Is it Green, Blue, Red, or Gold?
- Assess the Paper: Does it feel crisp or like a damp rag?
If the bill is from the 1920s or 30s, or if it has a non-green seal, take it to a reputable coin shop. Don't go to a "We Buy Gold" place; go to a numismatic expert. They can tell you if it's a "Common Date" or something rare. If it’s just a standard bill from the 1970s or 80s that's been folded a dozen times, your best bet is taking it to a bank. They will credit your account for $100 and eventually send the old bill back to the Federal Reserve to be shredded and replaced with a new one.
The 1966 Red Seal Exception
There is a rare bird in the $100 world: the Series 1966 United States Note with a Red Seal. These were not Federal Reserve Notes. They were issued directly by the Treasury. Only about 128,000 of them were ever printed. If you find one of these, even in decent condition, it is almost certainly worth more than $100. Some have sold for over $500 depending on the serial number.
Practical Steps for Owners of Older Currency
If you’re holding onto older hundreds, here is the smartest way to manage them:
- Preserve the Condition: If the bill looks new, put it in a PVC-free plastic sleeve. Every fold or smudge reduces the potential collector value.
- Verify the "Series" Year: Look at the small date near the portrait. This isn't necessarily the year it was printed, but the year the design was initiated.
- Check for Fancy Serial Numbers: Collectors look for "ladders" (12345678), "radars" (reading the same forward and backward), or low numbers (00000005). These can make a $100 bill worth thousands, regardless of the year.
- Avoid the Grocery Store: To save yourself a headache, deposit old currency at a major bank branch. They have the tools to verify the paper and the ink without the drama of a retail checkout line.
- Consult the Red Book: "A Guide Book of United States Coins" (the Red Book) also covers paper money and is the industry standard for checking current market values for older series.
Old money is fascinating because it’s a tangible link to the past. While a 1950 hundred dollar bill doesn't buy nearly as much as it did back then—thanks to inflation—it still carries the full faith and credit of the US government. Just don't expect the kid at the drive-thru to know that.
Next Steps for Your Currency:
Check the serial number on your old $100 bill. If it starts with several zeros or ends in a star, look it up on a site like MyCurrencyCollection to see the production run size. For bills that are heavily worn and from the 1970s or 1980s, the most efficient move is to deposit them into a high-yield savings account where they can finally start earning interest again after decades of sitting idle. If the bill has a blue or red seal, keep it separate and contact a member of the Professional Currency Dealers Association (PCDA) for a professional appraisal before attempting to spend it.