Most old $20 bills are worth about $20-45. Series 1934, 1950, 1963 and 1969 Federal Reserve Notes with a green seal were printed by the hundreds of millions, and a circulated one sells for face value or a modest premium that depends on how crisp it is. The old twenties that bring real money have something extra: a gold seal on a 1928 gold-backed note, the brown seal and HAWAII overprint of the 1934A wartime issue, a brown seal national bank note from 1929, the large size of a 1914 or earlier note, a star next to the serial number, a very low or patterned serial, or crisp uncirculated paper. Those sell for about $50 to several thousand dollars. Every one of them is still legal tender for $20, so no old twenty is worth less than face, but a bank pays face and a dealer pays the premium.
Quick answer
- 1934 to 1995 green seal, circulated: about $20-45. Crisp uncirculated: $40-120.
- 1928 and 1928A to 1928C green seal "redeemable in gold": $35-100 circulated.
- 1928 gold seal: $80-300 circulated, $500-1,500 uncirculated.
- 1934A brown seal HAWAII: $100-350 circulated, roughly $800-2,500 uncirculated (estimate; graded sales vary widely).
- 1929 brown seal national or Federal Reserve Bank note: $40-200, rare banks far more.
- Large 1914 Federal Reserve Note: $100-400 blue seal, $400-2,500 red seal. Earlier large notes: $300 to five figures.
How to read an old $20, step by step
- Measure it. Notes printed up to 1928 are large size, about 7.4 by 3.1 inches. From Series 1928 on, they are the current small size, 6.1 by 2.6 inches. A large note is worth at least $100 in any honest condition and often far more, so if the bill is large, skip to the large-size section below.
- Read the series year. On small-size notes it is printed to the right of the portrait near the bottom, as SERIES 1934 or similar, sometimes with a letter: 1934A, 1950B. The letter marks a change of signatures within the series, and some letter varieties are scarcer than the plain year.
- Look at the seal color. Green on the right means a Federal Reserve Note, the common type. Gold or orange means a 1928 gold-backed note. Brown on the right, paired with a brown serial number, means a 1929 national bank note or Federal Reserve Bank note, or the 1934A Hawaii note. Blue would mean a silver-backed note, but none were issued in the $20 denomination in small size.
- Check for an overprint. The 1934A Hawaii note has HAWAII printed in large letters across the back and in small letters twice on the face, with brown seal and serials. It was issued for use in Hawaii after Pearl Harbor so the currency could be voided if the islands fell. There is no yellow seal North Africa $20; those exist only for $1, $5 and $10.
- Read the district. On 1928 series Federal Reserve Notes, the black seal on the left carries a number, 1 through 12. From 1934 on, it carries a letter, A through L, matching the first letter of the serial. Scarce district and series combinations are what specialists chase, and the prices below assume common districts.
- Find the star. A star replacing the suffix letter in the serial marks a replacement note. On older twenties a star adds a clear premium, often doubling or tripling the price, and on 1928 and Hawaii notes it multiplies it. Our guide to star notes value explains how to check the run.
- Read the serial for patterns. Serials under 1000, solids, ladders, radars and repeaters carry premiums on every series, including modern ones. A serial under 100 on a crisp note is the rare case that reaches four figures regardless of series.
- Grade the condition. Hold the note to a light. Uncirculated means no folds at all, sharp corners and original paper surface. One center fold makes it about uncirculated, three light folds extremely fine, heavy folds and soft paper fine or very good. The spread between a fine and an uncirculated 1934 $20 is about $25 against $90, and on a 1928 gold seal it is about $100 against $1,000.
What small-size $20 bills sell for
Sold prices as of late 2026 for notes from common districts. Add for stars, low serials and scarce district letters; subtract for stains, tears, pinholes and writing.
| Series and type | Seal | Circulated (fine to very fine), about | Uncirculated, about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 gold-backed note | Gold | $80-300 | $500-1,500 |
| 1928 and 1928A Federal Reserve Note (numeric district seal), 1928B and later (letter seal) | Green | $35-100 | $150-500 |
| 1928C Federal Reserve Note | Green | $100-400 | $800-2,500 |
| 1929 national bank note, common bank | Brown | $40-150 | $200-600 |
| 1929 national bank note, scarce bank or small town | Brown | $150-1,500 | $500-5,000 and up |
| 1929 Federal Reserve Bank note | Brown | $35-90 | $150-400 |
| 1934, 1934A to 1934D Federal Reserve Note | Green | $22-45 | $60-150 |
| 1934A Hawaii overprint | Brown | $100-350 | Roughly $800-2,500 (estimate) |
| 1950 to 1950E Federal Reserve Note | Green | $22-40 | $45-110 |
| 1963, 1963A | Green | $22-35 | $40-80 |
| 1969 to 1969C | Green | $21-30 | $35-70 |
| 1974, 1977, 1981, 1985, 1988A | Green | $20-25 | $30-50 |
| 1990, 1993, 1995 | Green | $20-22 | $25-40 |
| 1996 onward, big-head and color designs | Green | Face | $22-35 |
Star notes roughly double these figures on the 1950s and later series, and multiply them by three to ten on the 1928 and Hawaii issues, where star notes are genuinely scarce. The 1928C is the sleeper of the group: it was printed for only three districts in small numbers, and most people do not notice the letter.
Large-size $20 notes, 1861 to 1923
If the note is the big old size, it belongs to one of these types, and all of them carry a premium. Condition drives the spread, and large notes were folded and handled hard, so a crisp example is rare and expensive.
| Type | Years | Identifiers | Circulated, about | Uncirculated, about |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve Note, blue seal | 1914 | Cleveland portrait, blue seal and serials | $100-400 | Roughly $600-1,500 (estimate) |
| Federal Reserve Note, red seal | 1914 | Same design, red seal and serials, scarce | $400-2,500 | $3,000-10,000 |
| Federal Reserve Bank Note | 1915, 1918 | Bank name in large letters, blue seal | $600-3,000 | $5,000 and up |
| National bank note, Series 1902 | 1902-1928 | Bank name and charter number, blue seal | $150-1,000; rare banks far more | $800-5,000 |
| National bank note, Series 1882 | 1882-1908 | Brown back or date back | $400-3,000 | $2,000 and up |
| Gold-backed note | 1882, 1905, 1906, 1922 | Gold seal, orange back | $200-1,500 for 1906 and 1922; the 1905 Technicolor note $2,000-25,000 | $1,500 and up |
| Legal tender note, red seal | 1869, 1875, 1878, 1880 | Hamilton portrait, red seal | $500-3,000 | $3,000-15,000 |
| Silver-backed note, Series 1886 and 1891 | 1886-1891 | Daniel Manning portrait, the 1886 "diamond back" | $1,000-6,000 | $8,000 and up |
| Treasury or coin note | 1890, 1891 | John Marshall portrait, ornate back | $1,500-8,000 | $10,000 and up |
The 1914 blue seal note is by far the most common large $20 and is what most families have; it is a handsome note worth about $100-400 in the grades that turn up. Anything else on this list is a specialist's note and is worth a dealer's look before it is sold. Counterfeits of the large types exist, mostly modern copies printed for the novelty market with "COPY" in tiny letters or on slightly glossy paper; a genuine note has raised intaglio ink you can feel with a fingertip and red and blue silk fibers in the paper.
How WorthPic reads old $20 photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. Photograph both sides flat in daylight and it reads the size, the series and letter, the seal color and district, the signatures, the full serial with any star, any overprint such as HAWAII, and for national bank notes the bank name and charter number, and it judges folds, corner wear, stains, trimming and the brightness of the paper. From that it names the type precisely, checks the serial for a star or pattern, estimates the grade range and gives an honest value range for that type in that grade, with a note when the district or the letter variety is one that specialists pay more for. It says plainly when something cannot be judged from a photo, which with banknotes is often a pressed fold, a repaired tear or a trimmed margin, and asks for a shot in raking light or a close-up of the suspect edge. It identifies and estimates. It never grades, authenticates or vouches for a note; PMG or PCGS Banknote with the note in hand is what the market accepts for any twenty worth more than about $100.
Common mistakes
- Spending or depositing a 1928, Hawaii or large-size note at face value. A bank pays $20 for a note a dealer would pay $150 for.
- Reading age as value. A worn 1950 twenty is worth about $22; a crisp 1969 star is worth more than both.
- Missing the series letter. 1928C and 1934A Hawaii are the letters that matter, and both are easy to overlook.
- Pressing, washing or trimming a note. Graders detect all three, and a processed note sells below an honest circulated one.
- Confusing the brown seal of a 1929 national note with the brown seal of a Hawaii note. The Hawaii note has the overprint; the 1929 note has a bank name in the design.
- Treating a modern "COPY" reproduction of an 1890 note as the real thing. Feel for intaglio ink and look for silk fibers.
- Selling a note that was in a wallet with a gold coin or a stack of other old bills one at a time. Our guides to old dollar bills worth money and old 100 dollar bill value cover the rest of a hoard, and an inherited group is often worth more sold together through one dealer.
What to photograph
- The full face, flat, in daylight, with all four corners in frame and the serial numbers readable.
- The full back the same way, which shows the HAWAII overprint, the back design of large notes and any stains.
- A close-up of the series year and letter, the seal and the district, which settles the type.
- A close-up of one serial number, for the star and the pattern question.
- The note tilted under a lamp so folds, pressed creases and repairs show in raking light. This is the photo that settles the grade.
- The edges and corners close up, to show trimming, tears and pinholes.
When to get it looked at in person
- PMG or PCGS Banknote grades and encapsulates notes with a written grade. Expect about $20-60 per note depending on value. Worth it for 1928 gold seals, Hawaii notes, 1928C, stars on early series, large-size notes and any serial under 1000. Not worth it for a circulated 1950s twenty.
- A currency dealer, ideally a member of the Professional Currency Dealers Association, buys outright, appraises for sale and can tell a repaired or trimmed note in seconds. For national bank notes, a dealer who specializes in the state is the one who knows the bank rarity.
- A major auction house currency department such as Heritage or Stack's Bowers for large-size rarities, the 1905 Technicolor note and scarce national banks, where competition among collectors sets the price.
If the twenty came in a box with other paper, our guide to confederate money value sorts the Civil War notes that so often keep it company.