Star Note Lookup
A star note has a ★at the end of its serial - it's a replacement bill, and the rare ones sell for well over face. Paste your serial to confirm it's a star, flag any fancy pattern, then check your exact print run.
Type the 8-digit serial from the front of the note. Include a or *if it's a star note. Nothing is sent anywhere - this runs in your browser.
What decides a star note's value
- Print run size. Star notes are printed in runs of up to ~3.2 million. The fewer printed in your run, the scarcer the note - runs under ~640,000 are the prized ones.
- Fancy serial. A radar, solid, low or ladder serial on top of the star multiplies interest (the checker above flags these).
- Series & district. Older series and certain Federal Reserve districts had smaller star printings.
- Condition. Crisp uncirculated notes carry a large premium over circulated ones.
Find your exact print run
Print-run figures are published per series, denomination and district. We don't guess the number - look it up with your note's series year, denomination, district letter and serial range:
Open a star note run-figure lookupExternal community database of BEP production figures. Once you know your run size, a run under ~640,000 is where the real premiums begin.
FAQ
What is a star note?
A star note is a replacement bill the BEP prints when a regular note is damaged during production. Instead of duplicating a serial number, it uses a star symbol (★) at the end of the serial. Because they are printed in limited replacement runs, some are scarce.
Are all star notes valuable?
No. Many modern star notes come from large print runs and are worth only face value in circulated grade. Value comes from a small print run (roughly under 640,000), a fancy serial number, an early or scarce series, or high grade.
How do I find how many were printed?
Print run figures are published per series, denomination and Federal Reserve district. Use a star note run-figure lookup (linked below) with your series year, denomination, district letter and serial range to find your run size.
What makes a star note a 'low run'?
Star notes are printed in runs; a full run is about 3.2 million notes. Runs well below that - especially under ~640,000 - are considered scarce and carry the strongest premiums, more so in crisp uncirculated condition.