Rare Dollar Bills and Coins No Longer in Circulation
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The United States has had many coins and paper bills in circulation in its history, which — for various reasons — the country has since discontinued. Some pieces have great value, while others are simply fun for those new to collecting currency.
From the gold dollar coin to the $10,000 bill, these rare dollar bills and coins (listed from least to most expensive) are not only valuable for collectors but also shed a fascinating light on this nation's history.
3-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value: $10–$200
Bottom line: When the Civil War began in 1861, people began hoarding coins, and they virtually disappeared from circulation.
It was at that time the U.S. began issuing fractional currency notes, such as the 3-cent note that features President George Washington on the front and an ornate design on the back.
5-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value: $10–$200
Bottom line: The 5-cent note is also part of the line of fractional currency issued during and just after the Civil War.
At the time, this note was enough for a quart of milk or pound of beef.
10-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value: $10–$200
Bottom line: The 10-cent note was created during the same Civil War time period. Known as "paper coins" and "postage currency," these notes were smaller in size than standard notes and did not have serial numbers.
This note features a portrait of William M. Meredith, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1849 to 1850.
15-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value: $10–$200
Bottom line: These fractional currencies minted during the Civil War became almost worthless by the late 1800s.
The notes were nicknamed "shinplasters," which was a term that was introduced during the Revolutionary War to describe a piece of paper soldiers would place in their boots to cushion their shins.
25-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value: $10–$200
Bottom line: As you've probably noticed, all of this fraction currency from the Civil War is of equal value, making it great for beginners who wish to collect banknotes but not spend a ton of money doing so.
Postage stamps were also accepted as currency at the time fractional currency was in use. To differentiate it from stamps, the government issued these notes with more colorful printing, as this 25-cent note depicts.
50-Cent Note
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Years used: 1862–1876
Current value:$10–$200
Bottom line: The 50-cent note was the largest value fractional note and features the portrait of William H. Crawford, the Secretary of the Treasury from 1815-1825, on the front.
Most fractional currency was later redeemed for coins and destroyed, but 1 percent of the money survives today, mostly in private collections.
3-Cent Nickel
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Years used: 1865–1889
Current value: $15–$250
Bottom line: The name "3-cent nickel" is confusing to modern society — this is not a nickel but a 3-cent coin, minted to provide an intermediate denomination between a penny and 5 cents.
When postal rates dropped in 1851 from 5 cents to 3 cents (imagine that!), a person could use 3 large cents to purchase a stamp, but those coins were too expensive to produce, so the 3-cent came into being.
The 3-cent nickel isn't even made from nickel. It is predominately copper, but it was more white than brown, so the powers that be thought "nickel" was a more apt descriptor.
Trime
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Years used: 1851–1873
Current value: $25–$600
Bottom line: These 3-cent silver pieces were nicknamed “fish scales," as they were the smallest coins ever made by the U.S. Mint. In fact, they are smaller than a modern dime.
Made from 75 percent silver and 25 percent copper, the coin was put into circulation during the California Gold Rush. At the time, silver was traded or exported for gold, and silver coins were often melted for their metal.
This coin was made of less-fine silver and, therefore, had less value in its metal. It was used heavily until Congress made its other silver coins lighter and decreased their metal value as well.
20-Cent Piece
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Years used: 1875–1878
Current value: $229–$1,029
Bottom line: The 20-cent piece had only a three-year run because most people confused it with the quarter, which was close to it in size and value.
In 1874, Nevada Senator John P. Jones, pressed Congress for the piece to alleviate the small change shortage in the West.
A million were minted in the first year alone, but it never caught on and most of the coins were melted.
$500 Bill
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Years used: (Federal) 1861–1969
Current value: $550—$1,600
Bottom line: The first $500 bills were issued by some states in the late 18th century, but they weren't federally issued until 1861 and were last printed in 1934.
They were officially discontinued in July 1969 with a number of other high dollar bills; however, the $500 bill is still considered legal tender.
Just under a million pieces of the Federal Reserve Note featuring William McKinley were made, but with less than 75,000 still in existence today, they're more suited for collectors.
3-Dollar Piece
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Years used: 1854—1889
Current value: $700–3,500+
Bottom line: Issued every year until 1889, this unusual coin was the perfect denomination for stamp collectors at the time — first-class stamps were 3 cents, and one coin could buy a sheet of 100.
Only three years in this series — 1854, 1874, 1878 — had mints above 10,000 coins. Over the entire run, only 538,174 pieces were made.
Half Dime
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Years used: 1792–1873
Current value: $15–$4,500
Bottom line: Also known as a "half disme," the half dime was made of silver and was one of the first coins produced by the U.S. Mint. It is the smallest silver coin ever minted in diameter and thickness.
In the mid-19th century, the nickel industry lobbied for the use of its metal in U.S. coins, and silver coins of the same denomination, including this one, were discontinued.
Half Eagle
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Years used: 1795–1929
Current value: $650–$6,795
Bottom line: The half eagle, the first gold coin minted in the U.S., originally had a value of $5.
The coin was struck by all seven U.S. Mints over its history, but those minted at Dahlonega, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Carson City, Nevada, were the most limited in number and are now the most valuable. Those dated before 1834 are the rarest of all.
Eagle
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Years used: 1792–1933
Current value: $1000–$7,500
Bottom line: The gold eagle had a $10 value and was discontinued along with the other gold coins in 1933.
Gold eagles are still in circulation with mints beginning in the late 1980s, but those that are made today are made mostly from silver, platinum or palladium and are not nearly as valuable.
$1,000 Bill
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Years used: (Federal) 1861–1969
Current value: $5,000–$12,000
Bottom line: While the last $1,000 bill rolled off the presses in 1945, they were still in circulation until 1969. The government claimed their discontinuation was due to lack of use, but it was actually also due to the illegal activities they were used for, including money laundering.
The original bill featured Alexander Hamilton, but he was replaced with Grover Cleveland when it was thought that having Hamilton on more than one denomination would be too confusing.
Today, there are only about 165,372 of the Cleveland bills in existence.
Half Cent
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Years used: 1793–1857
Current value: $42–$17,250+
Bottom line: The half cent is the lowest value coin that was ever minted in the U.S. It never really took off with the public and was more important in commerce.
Made from 100 percent copper and valued at 1/200th of a dollar, it is slightly smaller than quarters in circulation today.
There are a handful of these coins that still exist, and most are in fairly poor condition, but due to their age, they are still highly sought after by collectors.
$5,000 Bill
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Years used: (Federal) 1861-1969
Current value:$30,000—$100,000
Bottom line: Less than 400 of these $5,000 bills exist, and of those, the majority of them are already owned by museums or private collectors.
Because of their high dollar value, they were used infrequently, and most of the remaining bills are in uncirculated condition. If you ever find one, it can easily fetch a six-figure sum at auction.
Large Cent
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Years used: 1793–1857
Current value: $20–$125,000
Bottom line: Large cents are now known as pennies and had a face value of 1/100th of a dollar. Unlike today's pennies, however, they are the size of a half dollar.
The large cent was popular with the general public and was one of the first and most heavily produced coins created by the U.S. Mint.
The only year it wasn't produced was in 1815 — as a result of the War of 1812, an embargo kept copper planchets from being sent to the U.S. The Mint made the coins with what it already had on hand, but by the time it was to make the 1815 edition coin, it ran out of copper.
Most surviving coins are not in particularly great shape, but due to its age and history, the coin is a favorite among collectors today.
$10,000 Bill
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Years used: 1918–1969
Current value: $30,000–$140,000
Bottom line: Salmon P. Chase would likely be lost to history if he wasn't on the $10,000 bill, but he did have a storied career as governor of and senator from Ohio, who also served as Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and was once the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Like the $5,000 bill, the $10,000 bill wasn't used much, as the average American never had or made that much money while the bill was in circulation. Only a few hundred of these bills still exist today.
Gold Dollar
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Years used: 1849—1889
Current value: $200–$275,000
Bottom line: The gold dollar first came into being around the California Gold Rush, at a time when silver was being hoarded or exported and gold was in abundance.
By 1853, the gold dollar was already becoming a rarity as Congress required coins to be lighter, and many of them vanished due to hoarding during the Civil War.
When gold began recirculating again in 1879, the gold dollar did not regain its former popularity, and Congress ended the series a decade later.
Quarter Eagle
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Years used: 1796–1933
Current value: Up to $2.4 million
Bottom line: This gold coin had a value of $2.50 and went through four designs, but its most significant change came in 1834 when many coins before that date were melted down and coins with less gold were created in their place. Early quarter eagles are, therefore, more valuable.
They were removed from circulation in 1933 with the removal of the U.S. from the Gold Standard.
Double Eagle
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Years used: 1849-1933
Current value: $18.8 million
Bottom line: The gold double eagle was worth $20 and was made of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper. Its first production coincided with the California Gold Rush in the late 1840s.
In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt asked artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens to beautify the coin, which became known as the Saint-Gaudens double eagle. They were in circulation until 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it illegal to own the coins via the Gold Reserve Act. (Collectors who already had them could keep them.)
While there were some pieces made that year, they were never officially released. Some were stolen and later recovered. This coin is the most valuable of all U.S. coins — one sold in 2002 for $7.5 million, and another sold in 2021 for $18.8 million.
There are also 12 coins in the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox and the National Numismatic Collection.
$100,000 Bill
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Years used: 1934–1969
Current value: N/A
Bottom line: The $100,000 bill was never meant for the public — it was a gold certificate used for banks to conduct large transactions with each other.
The government printed 42,000 of these $100,000 bills, and most have been preserved or destroyed by the U.S. Treasury. Private ownership of the bill is actually illegal, which is why we can't give you a current value. But the word "priceless" comes to mind.