1963 $2 Red Seal Bill Value: How Much Is It Worth?

The short answer

A 1963 $2 bill is a red seal United States Note and a common series, so an ordinary circulated example is worth only a small premium over its two-dollar face value. Its significance is historical: 1963 and 1963A were the last red seal $2 notes issued, after which the denomination paused in 1966 and did not return until the green seal bicentennial note of 1976.

Value above face comes from grade, star notes and special serials. The 1963A is scarcer than the 1963 in regular notes, which can add a little, but both remain modest unless uncirculated or a star. The chart below shows recorded ranges by sub-series and condition.

1963 vs 1963A: print runs and scarcity

The two sub-series differ mainly in how many were printed. The 1963 series had 15,360,000 regular notes and a single 640,000-note star run. The 1963A series had far fewer regular notes, about 3,200,000, with its own single 640,000-note star run. So the 1963A is the scarcer of the two in regular notes, while both share the same small star run size.

In practice the scarcity difference adds only a little to a circulated note, because both are common by collector standards. It matters most in uncirculated grade and for star notes. Source: BEP production records via uspapermoney.info, cross-checked with the Numista Friedberg catalog.

The last red seal $2

The 1963 and 1963A notes were the last red seal $2 bills. The Treasury stopped printing the $2 denomination in 1966, and no new $2 notes were issued for a decade. When the $2 returned in 1976 for the United States bicentennial, it came back as a green seal Federal Reserve Note, so every $2 note since then is green seal rather than red. This makes 1963 the end of the red seal era for the denomination.

Is a 1963 red seal $2 still legal tender?

Yes. A 1963 red seal $2 is still legal tender and can be spent at face value. United States Notes were never demonetised, so the note remains valid currency. That also sets the floor on its worth: it is always worth at least $2, with any collector premium on top of that.

1963 $2 star notes

Star notes are the clearest premium on the 1963 series. Both 1963 and 1963A had a single 640,000-note star run, and our recorded single-note sales cover both in uncirculated grade, shown in the star chart above. Check your note with the star note lookup and see the guide to $2 star note values for the full detail.

Fancy and low serial numbers on a 1963 $2

A collectible serial can lift a common 1963 note above its series value. A very low number, a radar, a repeater or a solid all add demand. Run the eight digits through the serial number checker or the serial number lookup for $2 bills, and see the low serial number guide.

Should you keep, sell or grade it?

A circulated 1963 or 1963A is common, so it is usually worth keeping as a memento rather than selling. A crisp uncirculated note, a star or a special serial is where grading and a proper sale can pay off. Compare recent sales for the same sub-series and grade, and weigh grading and selling costs first.