Check your wallet. Seriously. Most people treat a twenty like a simple placeholder for lunch or a tank of gas, but some of those green portraits of Andrew Jackson are actually worth a small fortune. It sounds like a late-night infomercial scam, right? It isn't. Numismatics—the fancy word for coin and currency collecting—is a massive market where a single printing error or a weird sequence of numbers can turn twenty bucks into $2,000 or more.
Most $20 bills that are worth money aren't sitting in museum vaults. They're circulating. They’re being handed over at grocery store self-checkouts and stuffed into birthday cards. You've probably spent one. Honestly, the thought of accidentally buying a burrito with a bill worth a down payment on a car is enough to make anyone start squinting at every serial number they see.
The Serial Number Lottery
Every bill has a serial number. Most are boring. But collectors go absolutely nuts for "fancy serial numbers." We’re talking about patterns that are statistically improbable.
Take "Solid" serial numbers, for instance. This is when every single digit is the same, like LL77777777A. These are incredibly rare. If you find one, stop what you’re doing. You’re looking at a bill that could easily fetch five figures at an auction house like Heritage Auctions. Then you have "Ladders." A perfect ladder is 12345678. It’s the holy grail for paper money enthusiasts. Even "near-ladders" or "broken ladders" (where the numbers are scrambled but sequential) carry a premium, though nowhere near the thousands a true ladder commands.
There’s also the "Binary" note. This is a serial number composed of only two digits, like 00011001. While not as pricey as a solid, they still sell for a solid profit on eBay every single day.
Why do people care? Humans love patterns. It's the same reason people buy "lucky" license plates or premium phone numbers. In the currency world, rarity equals value. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) doesn't try to make these; they just happen as the press runs.
The Infamous "Del Monte" Note and Printing Errors
If you want to talk about $20 bills that are worth money, you have to talk about the "Del Monte" bill. It’s legendary. During the printing process at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank in 1996, a literal banana sticker—specifically a red and blue Del Monte sticker—fell onto the paper. The bill was printed right over the sticker.
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The "Series 1996 $20 Obstruction Error" is a masterpiece of accidental art. Because the Treasury seal and the serial number were printed over the sticker, it proved the sticker wasn't just stuck on later by a prankster. It sold for nearly $400,000 in 2021.
Errors are where the real money is.
Look for "Gutter Folds." This happens when the paper creases before the ink hits it. When you unfold the bill, there’s a big white blank streak running through the design. Then there are "Double Denominations." These are the "king" of errors. Imagine a $20 bill that has a $10 design printed on the back. It sounds impossible, but it happens. If you ever find a bill where the front and back don't match, you've hit the jackpot.
Why the 2013 $20 Bill Is Currently a Huge Deal
There is a very specific situation happening right now with Series 2013 $20 bills. It’s a bit technical, but basically, two different printing facilities (one in Washington D.C. and one in Fort Worth, Texas) accidentally printed bills with the exact same serial numbers.
Currency is supposed to be unique. Having two bills with the same serial number is a massive "no-no" in the banking world. Collectors are currently hunting for "matched pairs"—two bills with identical serial numbers from these specific runs. Finding a single "star note" (a bill with a star at the end of the serial number) from this 2013 batch is already worth a premium, but if you find the matching twin? You’re looking at serious cash.
Star Notes: The Easiest Thing to Spot
You’ve probably seen a little star (*) at the end of a serial number and wondered what it was. It’s not just for decoration.
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When a sheet of bills is damaged during printing, the BEP can’t just reprint the same serial numbers because that would mess up their accounting. Instead, they swap in a "replacement note" marked with a star. Since these are produced in much lower quantities than regular runs, they are inherently more collectible.
Not every star note is a winner. A star note from a run of 3.2 million bills is basically worth... twenty dollars. But a star note from a "short run" of 640,000 or fewer? That's when the value jumps. You can check the rarity of your star note by using a "Star Note Lookup" tool online, which tracks the production sizes based on Treasury records.
Does Condition Actually Matter?
Yes. It matters a lot. Maybe too much.
In the world of $20 bills that are worth money, "Crisp Uncirculated" is the gold standard. If a bill has a fold, a stain, or a "pinhole" from where a bank teller once stapled it, the value craters. Professional grading services like PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) or PMG (Paper Money Guaranty) use a 70-point scale. A bill that looks "fine" to you might be a 20, while a bill that looks "perfect" might be a 65. The price difference between a 63 and a 67 can be thousands of dollars.
If you find something you think is rare, don't iron it. Don't wash it. Don't try to "clean" it. You will destroy the "original paper wave" and the natural sheen of the ink, effectively killing its collector value. Just put it in a PVC-free plastic sleeve and keep your hands off it.
The Mystery of the "Pre-Fed" Twenties
Before 1914, we didn't have the Federal Reserve as we know it today. We had "National Bank Notes." These are fascinating. Basically, individual local banks were allowed to issue their own currency.
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Imagine a $20 bill that says "The First National Bank of Podunk, Iowa" right on the front. These are highly sought after, especially by people who live in those specific towns. Some of these small-town banks only issued a few hundred bills before they went bust or merged. If you find a $20 bill from a "dead bank" in a small town, you aren't just holding money; you're holding a piece of local history that collectors will pay dearly for.
What to Do If You Think You Have a Winner
Don't just run to the nearest pawn shop. Pawn stars are in the business of buying low and selling high; they aren't going to give you market value.
First, verify the rarity. Use sites like MyCurrencyCollection or check "Sold" listings on eBay. Don't look at what people are asking for—look at what people are actually paying. If you see a bill listed for $5,000 but the last five sold for $40, the guy asking $5,000 is dreaming.
If it’s a high-value error or a rare national bank note, get it graded. Yes, it costs money (usually $30-$100 depending on the turnaround time), but a graded bill is much easier to sell because the buyer knows it’s authentic. It removes the "is this a fake?" barrier immediately.
Practical Steps for the Casual Hunter
You don't need a magnifying glass to start. Just build a few habits.
- Check Every Star: Whenever you get a $20 bill, look at the end of the serial number. If there’s a star, set it aside and look up the run size later that night.
- Look for "Triples": Serial numbers with three or more of the same digit in a row are a good starting point for finding binaries or solids.
- Flip it Over: Check for ink smears or alignment issues where the back of the bill seems "off-center" compared to the front.
- The "Feel" Test: Counterfeiters have gotten good, but genuine $20 bills are printed on a cotton-linen blend, not paper. If the texture feels "waxy" or "flat," it might be a fake—or it might be an ink-saturated error.
The reality is that most $20 bills are just worth twenty bucks. But the "Del Monte" note was found by a college student in an ATM withdrawal. It happens. People find these things because they bother to look.
Start by checking the Series date. If you see anything older than 1990, it's worth a closer look simply because most of those have been pulled from circulation and destroyed by the Fed. From there, it's all about the numbers. Look for the patterns, the stars, and the weird ink splotches that shouldn't be there. Your wallet might be hiding a lot more than just pocket change.
Invest in a small pack of archival-safe currency sleeves. If you find a bill that looks unusual, slide it in there immediately to preserve the paper's crispness. Avoid folding it further, as every new crease reduces the potential grade. Once protected, cross-reference the serial number with online auction databases to see if a similar "fancy" number has sold recently. If the rarity is confirmed, contact a reputable numismatic dealer or a major auction house for a professional appraisal before attempting a private sale.