1976 $2 Bill With a Postage Stamp: What Is It Worth?
By Muhammad Khalid Hussain; published ; updated
A 1976 $2 bill with a postage stamp and postmark usually sells for a small premium over face value, not a fortune. These are first day of issue souvenirs that collectors made on April 13, 1976, and many survive, so the stamp and postmark add novelty rather than rarity.
The short answer
A 1976 $2 bill with a postage stamp affixed and a postmark is a first day of issue souvenir. On the day the bicentennial $2 note was released, collectors took new notes to the post office, stuck a stamp on the front and had it cancelled with that day's postmark. Because many people did this, the result is a collectible curiosity rather than a rarity, and most examples sell for only a small premium over face value.
What you are really holding is an ordinary 1976 $2 bill with a stamp on it. The stamp and postmark add a little novelty value, but the note underneath is common, so its own features, grade, serial number and whether it is a star, still decide most of what it is worth.
What is a first day of issue 1976 $2 bill?
The Series 1976 $2 Federal Reserve Note was first released into circulation on April 13, 1976, Thomas Jefferson's birthday. Collectors marked the occasion the way they mark a new postage stamp: they affixed a stamp to the new note and had the post office cancel it with the April 13, 1976 postmark, creating a dated first day of issue keepsake.
That is why so many 1976 $2 bills turn up with a stamp and a postmark on the front. They were made deliberately as souvenirs of the bicentennial release, not produced that way by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The note itself is a normal green-seal 1976 $2 bill.
How to identify a genuine first day note
The detail collectors look for is the postmark date. A true first day of issue 1976 $2 bill carries a postmark reading April 13, 1976, the release date. Postmarks from later dates are still souvenirs, but they are not first day items and are generally worth less.
- Check the postmark date: April 13, 1976 is the first day of issue.
- Confirm the note is a Series 1976 green-seal $2 Federal Reserve Note.
- Look at the stamp and the cancellation town, which can add interest.
- Read the eight-digit serial, because the note's own serial still matters.
1976 $2 postage-stamp value by type
The table below groups postmarked 1976 $2 notes by type. We only publish a figure where our own recorded sales support it; where we do not have clean recorded sales for a type, the cell reads no recorded sales rather than a competitor's number or a guess. In practice, most postmarked 1976 notes change hands for a small premium over face value, and the premium rises only when something is genuinely unusual.
| Type | Recorded value |
|---|---|
| Loose postmarked note | No recorded sales in our data |
| In original first-day envelope | No recorded sales in our data |
| Uncommon postmark town | No recorded sales in our data |
| Stamp errors | No recorded sales in our data |
What makes one worth more
Within this small-premium market, a few things lift a postmarked 1976 note: an April 13, 1976 first day postmark rather than a later date, a crisp uncirculated note under the stamp, an unusual or desirable cancellation town, and a clean, undamaged stamp. None of these turns a common souvenir into a rarity, but together they move it toward the top of the range.
The bigger value swing comes from the note itself. If the serial underneath is a star, a very low number or a fancy pattern, that can matter far more than the stamp. Check it with the serial number checker, and for the full bicentennial picture see the 1976 bicentennial note guide.
How we estimate value
Figures on this page come only from our own data: recorded sales and the $2 value compilation used across the site. We do not copy competitor price ranges, and we leave a cell blank when we have no clean recorded sale for it. Our methodology explains the sources and confidence levels in full.
Check your serial on Banknote Expert
The note under the stamp is an ordinary 1976 $2 bill, so its serial still matters. Run the eight digits to flag a star, a low serial or a fancy pattern.
1976 $2 postage-stamp FAQs
Is a 1976 $2 bill with a stamp worth more?
Usually a little. A stamped, postmarked 1976 $2 bill is a first day of issue souvenir, and because many were made it carries a small premium over face value rather than a large one. The note underneath is a common 1976 $2 bill, so its own grade and serial still decide most of its worth.
How much is a 1976 $2 bill with a postage stamp worth?
For most examples, a small premium over the $2 face value. A genuine April 13, 1976 first day postmark, a crisp note and an unusual cancellation town can nudge it higher, but a postmarked 1976 note is a collectible curiosity, not a rarity.
Why do 1976 $2 bills have stamps on them?
Because collectors created them. When the Series 1976 $2 note was released on April 13, 1976, people took new notes to the post office, affixed a postage stamp and had it cancelled with that day's postmark as a first day of issue keepsake. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing did not issue the notes with stamps.
Does the postmark date matter?
Yes. The date collectors want is April 13, 1976, the first day of issue. A note postmarked on that date is a true first day item, while a later postmark is still a souvenir but generally worth less.
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