Five Dollar Bill Red Seal STAR NOTE Series 1963 US Currency

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We are pleased to offer for sale this Five Dollar Bill Red Seal STAR NOTE Series 1963 US Currency.  These Red Seal Five Dollar Bills are off-quality notes that may have some stains, tears, heavy folds or writing.  These Red Seal Five Dollar Bills are US Legal Tender Notes that circulated at the same time as Silver Certificates.  These are STAR NOTES from Series 1963.  Each bill comes in a currency sleeve for protection.  These STAR NOTE Red Seal Five Dollar Bills will make a nice addition to any currency collection!

Information on these Red Seal Series 1963 Five Dollar Bills:

In 1929 all US Currency was changed to its current modern size.  The $5 bill was kept as a United States Legal Tender Note as well as a Federal Reserve Note and a Silver Certificate.  The obverse features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.  The reverse of the bill depicts the Lincoln Memorial. For these US Legal Tender Notes, the seal and serial numbers are printed in red.  The series 1963 bill can be differentiated from past series by the addition of the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST"  above the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse.   Also, on the obverse of the note "WILL PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND" which had been included on previous series is now removed.

What is a Star Note?

A Star Note is a bank note minted to replace a defective note that was not fit for circulation. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) uses these Star Notes to ensure that the correct amount of currency is created.  The BEP does not replicate the exact serial numbers of the defective bills, rather a separate run of notes (with their own sequential serial numbers) is created to mint the exact number of discarded notes.  These Replacement Star Notes are marked with a distinctive symbol, a "star" that is placed adjacent to the serial number.  On Legal Tender Notes and Silver Certificates the star is where the prefix (first letter) of to the serial number would be.  On Federal Reserve Notes the star is where the block letter (the last letter) of the serial number would be.

Historically, Star Notes were also used for the 100,000,000th note in a series, the last note in the block of serial numbers (the numbering machines could not print over 8 digits).  Star Notes are no longer used for this.  Star Notes occasionally replaced notes from a different series, as well.  

The number of Star Notes produced for a series depends on the number of printed bills found to be defective.  The BEP currently prints Star Notes in maximum runs of 3.2 million (100,000 sheets of 32 notes each).  The runs are often significantly smaller depending on how many Star Notes are needed. So what is the value of a Star Note?  The smallest run sizes produce the rarest, and potentially most valuable, Star Notes! 

What is a Red Seal Note?

Red Seal Notes are United States Currency known as either United States Notes or Legal Tender Notes.  Legal Tender Notes are the longest lived of all  U.S. Currency, first authorized in the Act of Congress of May 3, 1878 and issued through 1971.  Large-size Legal Tender Notes were issued only through 1929, after which the currency changed to the smaller "modern size" notes still used today.  All Small-size Legal Tender Notes have red seals, and therefore they are referred to as Red Seal Notes or Red Seal Bills.  Red Seal Notes have been issued in $1, $2, $5, and $100 denominations.  The Mint also printed but did not issue $10 and $20 denominations.  

Only one issue of the $1 Red Seal Note was printed, the series 1928. The $2 Red Seal Notes were printed in multiple series:  1928, 1928 A through G, 1953, 1953 A through C, 1963, and 1963 A.  $5 Red Seal Notes were also printed in multiple series: 1928, 1928 A through F, 1953, 1953 A through C, and 1963.  The $100 Red Seal Notes were printed in series 1966 and 1966 A.