Some of the most popular posts on this website lately have been about currency — particularly fancy serial numbers and errors.
I continue to get a lot of questions through email and on the Facebook group about what kinds of bills are worth more than face value.
This post concentrates on a kind of serial number that's common enough that more experienced collectors probably wouldn't save them. Nonetheless, there is a good market for them on eBay.
Trinary serial numbers for the new collector
More experienced collectors oftentimes say that these kinds of bills are not fancy or that they’re “spenders,” meaning that their only value is their face value.
As with most hobbies, there are people just starting out, people who have been at the hobby for decades, and everything in between. And, correspondingly, there are different kinds of bills that match the different levels of experience.
Trinary serial numbers are the “beginning-level collector” serial numbers that the subject of this article.
How rare is a trinary serial number?
Fancy serial numbers in general have some kind of collector's value because they're “cool” in some way.
Some kinds of fancy serial numbers are based on the number of different digits in the serial number. Solid serial numbers have exactly one digit, like 77777777. Binary serial numbers have exactly two digits, like 24244424.
Then there's the next level, which is often called trinary, and these kinds of bills have exactly three digits in them.
A couple of examples of trinary serial numbers are 22313221 and 01120100, shown below:
The odds of a serial number being solid are about 1 in 11 million. The odds are getting a serial number that's binary is about one in ten thousand or so.
Trinary bills are significantly easier to come by, though not especially easy. About 7 bills in 1,000 have trinary serial numbers.
Defending trinary serial numbers (haha!)
On my fancy serial number Facebook group I take the stance that trinaries are still worth above face value.
A lot of other collectors will say things that imply that it's not worth their time to worry about these kinds of bills.
To some extent, they're correct, because a run-of-the-mill trinary serial number will only be worth a few dollars on eBay. And, after subtracting out the value of the bill, fees, and shipping, the profit potential is maybe a couple of bucks.
A serious dealer isn't going to waste their time for a buck or two. I get that. But the collectors that I see posting these kinds of bills are brand-new, curious, and probably a little bit excited. So selling the bill for a couple of bucks profit would be awesome, really. (When I sold my first ebook for the first time, I was giddy. It's the real deal!)
Why try to sell trinary serial numbers?
So now I've outed myself as someone who thinks these are worth selling. Here are a few more reasons why I try not to dismiss these kinds of bills even if by more rigid standards they're not among the fanciest:
People like to win if they're pursuing something
First, people like to win if they're pursuing something. I've gone through several thousand dollars worth of $1 bills and I have yet to find anything like a repeater serial number or a radar serial number. (These are typically agreed to be fancy, even by the more picky collectors.)
Even though many experienced collectors will not waste their time on these bills, there are many other starting collectors that do.
People list them on eBay, and there are willing buyers for these kinds of bills. Ignoring this market doesn't make it go away.
If someone gets a few dollars by selling something they just happened to find in their wallet, they're going to feel great about it — even if they spent an hour listing the bill, managing the auction, and mailing it out to the buyer. This kind of success breeds more success, and it's addictive, really! This will encourage them to continue doing it and eventually they may take greater risks looking for these bills and selling them.
It encourages the hobby in newer collectors
Second, it's a way to encourage the hobby with people who have never done it before. Everyone has to start somewhere.
People will (generally) not go out and buy graded bills right off the bat. They'll start with the kinds of bills that they see every day.
And today's casual collector of these kinds of bills may become tomorrow's collector of fence your bills which benefits the experienced collectors.
It expands the currency-collecting hobby
The last reason that I encourage and point out these kinds of things is that it helps to expand a hobby a bit.
I think that a lot of the higher-end collectors don't really look at more than a very narrow set of bills. The hobby could be much bigger because it really is so easy to get started.
It's an easy way to learn about reselling!
This reason is a bit apart from collecting.
When starting on a new way to make additional income it's wise to start smaller. There's not a whole lot of downside to selling a dollar bill for a few bucks. The investment is minimal, and if something goes wrong it's not a big loss. All in all, it's a good way to practice selling something on eBay!
Fun!! Wouldn’t have thought to look for these types, but I will now! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my friend! Yeah, a lot of things sell on eBay that you might not expect!
Hi John, I have 2 20 dollar bills with the following serial numbers. Are they worth listing for sale?
PK 30105010 B and PK 12291929 C.
If you’ve never sold on eBay or somewhere else then it’s worth going through the exercise. These would be tough to sell though. Have fun!
I have a Trinary serial number L40077007T is this worth anything ?
It depends on the denomination. If a $1 it could sell for a few dollars on eBay with time.
what is a 5 dollar bill with 01107070 that is slightly misaligned on the front worth
It would depend on the amount of the misalignment. If it’s slight then no premium as it may be within tolerance. You can post it in the Cool Serial FB group and we’ll take a look!
G 22229988 D
Nice four pair bill! Love to see it on Cool Serial: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoolSerial
Hello, I have a 2013 20 dollar bill with serial number MC87707777C. Is it worth anything? Thanks Mark
Nice six of a kind! Love to see it on the Cool Serial Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoolSerial
I have a $ 1 dollar bill with serial number l22222209n
Nice six of a kind! Actually six in a row!
Here’s a video on pricing these:
https://youtu.be/CyyE8550ick
I have a $1 bill with serial number 09690060 is it worth holding on to?
You’re always free to hold onto bills that you enjoy!
Hi, is this $100 dollar bill worth anything?
LL44885445H
Likely worth face value. $100s are tough to sell because of the high face value.
Is this $100 dollar bill worth more than face value? Thanks for answering my question
AB68606667Q
Likely face value. $100s need to be really fancy to hold a premium.
I have a 2017 A $100 serial number PB87447474. DOES THIS COUNT AS TRINARY?
Sure does!
I have a $5 bill with serial number 43277779. My “cool serial numbers” ranking was 95%. That still tells me nothing as to how rare/common this bill is
That website is fantastic at getting people to talk about their bills. It mildly infuriates serious collectors because it adds a lot of noise to the discussion. Having said that, four 7s in a row is pretty cool!
I have a fancy $1 bill
E 22277711J 2013 how can I find out if it’s worth anything
That’s pretty cool. Some people sell these as “double triple” bills because the 2s and 7s are together. Check out this video for more information: https://youtu.be/k0gMe7QZpI0
What’s a 10 dolar bill worth with sn pj03833038a
Thanks for posting. That one will be a tough sell above face.
I have a $20 note with H16666664F
Interested ?
I don’t do Facebook…………………………..
Cool six in a row! You can check out this YouTube video for more information on pricing: https://youtu.be/CyyE8550ick
I have 2 $1.00 bills that have sequential serial numbers but both are trinity, A24412211A and A24412212A, are they worth anything?
I think they’re cool!
I have a 1 dollar bill 2013 L 45777775 S is there any value to it
Trinary and five in a row should carry a small premium on eBay.
I have a five dollar bill with serial numbers 44400111 is it worth much ?
I like this one! Could go for a premium with some time on eBay!
What about ?
J 00002990 C
Depends on the denomination but that’s a pretty low serial number! Nice find!
I have a $20bill that’s PD 00022900 A . Thought that was kinda neat.
It is! Thanks for sharing!
A trinary serial number consist of three single #”s like A33302221 but there must be 3+3 others just like my example right
Hi Tyrone! Usually trinaries have three different digits. Yours has four. I still like the serial though!
I have a 10.00 bill sn MB 33333399 D is it worth anything?
That’s a binary and a six in a row so I’d think it would carry a premium!
I have a 2017A $20 bill serial #
PG69656965D
Nice repeater bill!
I have a 20$ that’s PG4004022 how much is it worth?
This one probably about $20. (Also you didn’t have the entire serial number.)
Hello I found a $1.00* note 1969 Series B # C01791978* I can’t find any information on this series do you know it’s value.
Interesting, did you check eBay? Do “Sold Items” to find similar items that sold.
Hi I have a 50 dollar bill with trinary numbers of 11404104. Do you thank it would be worth anything?
Face value on this one. $50s need to be fancier than this to have a premium. Have fun looking!
2017a $20 pb33344353
Worth face value on a $20. Cool bill though
I just found a 2013 1.00 bill sn L 00000995 H is it worth anything
That’s a fairly low one! People collect these. The lower the better obviously.
I have a $20 bill with 22242224 I know it is a binary just wondering if worth
$20s are tougher sells than $1s but that should sell for a premium. It’s not only a binary but also a repeater!
What about a 5 dollar bill
PJ23121323 A
It’s a tri so not super rare but with the 231 132 flip
The 1-2-3 part of it is fun. Radar bills usually have the whole number read forwards-backwards, like 13211231. Just the 231 and 132 likely won’t get a lot of interest, but you’re looking for the right kinds of things!
2017 A one dollar 12882188
The last 2 8’s on left side of bill are slightly misaligned.
Depends on the extent of the misalignment.
So if there is a triniary on a 20$ is really only worth face value? (Going off of the post obove) I’m new to all this and I have been doing a lot of research but some basic yes or no answers to some of my questions on the bills I have would be helpful PK 94484848D thank you
$20s are tougher to sell than $1s because of the higher face value. In my Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoolSerial) the dealers are regularly saying that trinaries “aren’t a thing” and spend them, regardless of denomination. If you like yours, you can keep it and enjoy it, but that one would be an extremely tough sell.
Hey john, i found a $1 C34349494A today, was curious if besides the trinary if it was any special with the repeating groups. I know not a true repeater
I see why you pulled it out, neat bill!
I found this interesting $1 bill.
L47775551E
Do you think it’s worth trying to sell. It has 4 different digits, but it has the two sets of triple digits.
I see why you pulled it out! $1s of all kinds sell pretty widely on eBay. Price it to make money.
I have a 2017 $20 bill number is PF28028020L
Awesome
Hi, thank you for taking the time to explain about Trinaries. I may have missed it, but did you mention what a “true trinary” is? Similar to a “true binary” (made up of 0’s and 1’s), a “true trinary” is made up of 0’s 1’s 2’s. That is what I have heard…
Chris
Interesting that you mention this Chris! One of the members on my Facebook Group was messaging me about these. A lot of dealers say that “trinaries aren’t a thing” but he had no trouble selling them. They were the 0,1,2 kind though, so they have extra things going for them that a 4,6,9 one doesn’t, for example.
New here pretty cool didn’t know trinary was a thing. Would the lower number be more valuable or the higher one? k00000393b 22220028
Thank you