Series 1976
Do you have one of these oddities tucked away in a drawer or box somewhere?
I remember when they came out in 1976. Or rather they were reissued in 1976.
Yes, REissued.
I thought they were a new thing back then, but the $2 bill has a long history. A lot of people—myself included—believed these were for our country’s bicentennial. In actuality, it was to commemorate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. Since it was the US Bicentennial, they put the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the reverse so it could serve two purposes.
Let’s roll back the clock nearly 250 years to the beginning of this misunderstood slip of paper.
When the Colonies were battling for independence in 1775, the Continental Congress issued $2 “bills of credit” to help finance the defense of what would become the United States. On May 10, 1775 these were released, making them older than our country.
1775
They quickly lost their value due to the lack of solid backing and counterfeiting.
The next—and first official $2 bill—was printed in 1862. It was a legal tender note of a larger size (7.375” by 3.125”) than we currently have today. This bill featured Alexander Hamilton on the front and beautiful scrollwork on the reverse with the numeral 2. Because the backs of these were green, they came to be known as “greenbacks.”
Series 1862
The $2 bill remained this larger size until the smaller note (6.14” by 2.61”) was adopted for all US currency bills in 1928.
Timeline
The $2 bill received various facelifts and renditions over the years.
Series 1886
The series 1886 depicts Winfield Scott Hancock, a US Army officer and 1880 presidential nominee.
Series 1890
The series 1890 depicts James McPherson, a US Army officer who served with Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War at the Battle of Shiloh.
Series 1891
The series 1891 depicts William Windom, US Secretary of the Treasury.
Series 1896
The series 1896 (the “Educational series”) depicts a teacher and children on the front and on the reverse side Robert Fulton and Samuel Morse.
Series 1899
The series 1899 depicts George Washington, first US president.
Series 1928
The series 1928 depicts Thomas Jefferson on the front and Jefferson’s home, Monticello, on the reverse.
This little bill stayed in print until 1966 when it was discontinued. Then in 1976, it was brought back and is still a current denomination.
Series 1976-Author Image
The series 1976 depicts Thomas Jefferson on the front, as before, for his birthday on April 13th—the bill’s release day—and, the signing of the Declaration of Independence replaced Monticello on the reverse.
Though still in print today and legal tender, people believe them to be rare—me included—because they are seldom seen. Others think they are counterfeit. In 2005, a man tried to pay for his purchase with some $2 bills. The store and local police believed that they were counterfeit, and the man was hauled off to jail. In another instance, occurring in 2016, a 13-year-old girl tried to buy her school lunch with one. The school thought it wasn’t real because it was an older bill (series 1953) before the counterfeit markers would work on it, and she was detained by the police. Both matters were quickly cleared up.
Most people don’t use them, and cash drawers don’t have a slot for them. So why does the government keep printing them? And they are still printing them every couple of years. One reason is because they want people to use this cheaper to print bill. If people would use one two instead of two ones, it would cost the government almost half as much to print them for the same purchasing power.
If you want to learn more about the $2 bill, here is a documentary about it. (Running time—1:40:53) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b3TczZpC_Y
I just picked up a handful of crisp, brand new $2 bills at the bank to give my grandkids at Christmas. The teller smiled when I asked for them.
Do you have any of these tucked away in your house or wallet?
THE QUILTING CIRCLE SERIES Box Set
Historical Romance Series
By Mary Davis
THE WIDOW’S PLIGHT (Book1) – Will a secret clouding a single mother’s past cost Lily her loved ones?
THE DAUGHTER’S PREDICAMENT (Book2) *SELAH & WRMA Finalist* – As Isabelle’s romance prospects turn in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams.
THE DAMSEL’S INTENT (Book3) *SELAH Winner* – Nicole heads down the mountain to fetch herself a husband. Can she learn to be enough of a lady to snag the handsome rancher?
THE DÉBUTANTE’S SECRET (Book4) – Complications arise when a fancy French lady steps off the train and into Deputy Montana’s arms.
Mary lives in Colorado with Carolina Dog named Shelby. She has three adult children and three incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at: Books2Read Newsletter Blog FB FB Readers Group Amazon GoodReads BookBub
SOURCES
https://www.uscurrency.gov/denominations/2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_two-dollar_bill
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/17/business/2-dollar-bill-history/index.html
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/two-dollar-bill-worth-4776868
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