# Are two dollar bills from the late 1950's worth putting on Ebay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 11, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217 "2017-12-11T18:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/1 "2017-12-11T18:09:07Z")
I have several $2 bill my dad kept from the early 1960’s. Should I spend them at McDonald’s or list on eBay? How much would they have to sell for? I know eBay gets their cut and I have to mail them. I don’t want to lose money. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/2 "2017-12-11T18:11:50Z")
Reported for forum change. Spend 'em at McDonald’s, It’s hilarious when the cashier has never seen a $2 bill and calls the police. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/3 "2017-12-11T18:16:40Z")
$3-5 depending on condition. [http://oldcurrencyvalues.com/1953\_red\_seal\_two\_dollar/](http://oldcurrencyvalues.com/1953_red_seal_two_dollar/) I have a couple of 1928 red-seal $2 bills, but they’re in terrible shape. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/4 "2017-12-11T18:21:06Z")
I’ll check. I think mine have a red seal. I’m not sure why my dad kept them. It may have been the serial numbers that caught his attention. If I list on eBay, then I’ll have to include shipping charges. At least $3 to use a padded envelope. Is it legal to scan the bill for the listing? ---
**Author:** ![sweepkick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@sweepkick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweepkick)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/5 "2017-12-11T18:22:25Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Reported for forum change. > Spend 'em at McDonald’s, It’s hilarious when the cashier has never seen a $2 bill and calls the police. Hilarious indeed: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LgRKzac-9dM/hqdefault.jpg "92 KQRS Morning Show - 2 Dollar Bill Bit") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRKzac-9dM) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/6 "2017-12-11T18:24:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ll check. I think mine have a red seal. > I’m not sure why my dad kept them. It may have been the serial numbers that caught his attention. > > If I list on eBay, then I’ll have to include shipping charges. At least $3 to use a padded envelope. > > Is it legal to scan the bill for the listing? No. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/7 "2017-12-11T18:43:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ll check. I think mine have a red seal. > I’m not sure why my dad kept them. It may have been the serial numbers that caught his attention. > > If I list on eBay, then I’ll have to include shipping charges. At least $3 to use a padded envelope. > > Is it legal to scan the bill for the listing? > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > No. Yes, you can. > [@](#): > > Here is a summary for authorized color illustrations: > > [ul] > [li]Illustration must be less that .75 or more than 1.5, in linear dimension, of the currency[/li][li]Illustration must be one-sided.[/li][li]Destroy or erase anything used in the making of the illustration that contains an image or part of the illustration.[/li][/ul] > **[Front page | U.S. Department of the Treasury](https://home.treasury.gov/)** > > U.S. Department of the Treasury See also [US dollar | CBCDG](https://rulesforuse.org/en/currencies/us-dollar) However, good luck attempting to scan US currency. Most (all?) scanners and photocopiers [will not scan currency](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/counterfeit-money-eurion-constellation_us_576a3aa8e4b0c0252e77b6c4). Even quality graphics programs like Photoshop will not work with scanned currency images. The best you might be able to do is just take a digital image of the currency. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/8 "2017-12-11T18:44:38Z")
I found eBays policy. I can take a picture of the bills. I’ll look at other people’s listings and check the completed selling price of $2 bills. I’d prefer to get these in a collector’s hands. My dad did go to the trouble of saving these bills sixty years ago. $2 was like $10 in todays money. But, it’s lunch time and I’m hungry. 😉 [https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/currstamps.html](https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/currstamps.html) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/9 "2017-12-11T19:11:39Z")
This guy wants five bucks for an early 1960’s $2 bill. Ungraded and a circulated bill. Red Seal [https://m.ebay.com/itm/1963-2-two-Dollar-Bill-United-States-Note-Circulated-Red-Seal/292367132318?hash=item441270669e:g:V20AAOSwbtNaLtQe](https://m.ebay.com/itm/1963-2-two-Dollar-Bill-United-States-Note-Circulated-Red-Seal/292367132318?hash=item441270669e:g:V20AAOSwbtNaLtQe) ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/10 "2017-12-11T19:46:25Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Yes, you can. > > However, good luck attempting to scan US currency. Most (all?) scanners and photocopiers [will not scan currency](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/counterfeit-money-eurion-constellation_us_576a3aa8e4b0c0252e77b6c4). Even quality graphics programs like Photoshop will not work with scanned currency images. The best you might be able to do is just take a digital image of the currency. Not going to be a problem with 1960s currency. I’m pretty sure they did not have scanners back then let alone the Eurion Constellation on the currency. ---
**Author:** ![biometricks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecae2f/32.png) [@biometricks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biometricks)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/11 "2017-12-12T13:03:39Z")
> [@sweepkick](#): > > Hilarious indeed: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRKzac-9dM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgRKzac-9dM) That’s hysterical! Great clip. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/12 "2017-12-12T14:20:31Z")
I used to give my kids their allowance in twos (yeah, it’s a dad kind of thing). Once, I didn’t have any and my 6-year-old son was disappointed. I asked why he cared and he explained “I like to find a clerk under twenty and then confuse them.” I _might_ have said “Iss all about the Jeffersons, bay-bee!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/13 "2017-12-12T16:38:05Z")
In the little town where I grew up, there was a courtly old gentleman who would get a stack of new $2 bills from the bank, take them to a local print shop and have them gummed along the top edge like checks. He delighted in tearing them off to pay for stuff, and seeing the confused/suspicious reaction of younger (and dumber) sales clerks, waitresses, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/14 "2017-12-12T17:02:07Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > This guy wants five bucks for an early 1960’s $2 bill. Ungraded and a circulated bill. Red Seal > [https://m.ebay.com/itm/1963-2-two-Dollar-Bill-United-States-Note-Circulated-Red-Seal/292367132318?hash=item441270669e:g:V20AAOSwbtNaLtQe](https://m.ebay.com/itm/1963-2-two-Dollar-Bill-United-States-Note-Circulated-Red-Seal/292367132318?hash=item441270669e:g:V20AAOSwbtNaLtQe) Don’t look at what people are asking. Look at completed purchasession where somebody actually bought the item. Anyone can list an item for any asking price, that doesn’t mean someone will pay that price. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-two-dollar-bills-from-the-late-1950s-worth-putting-on-ebay/804217/15 "2017-12-12T17:02:38Z")
As an alternative to Ebay, why not consider Facebook Marketplace? We’ve been organizing our basement. I’ve sold several things via Facebook, and it was very easy. Meet the people at a Sheetz (it’s a thing, since there are security cameras) and exchange item for cash. Save on shipping, no fees, easy listing.