(NEXSTAR) – You might already know that some state quarters or star banknotes can be worth more than face value. But are you overlooking any rare “radar” banknotes in your wallet or purse?
So-called “radar” notes feature palindromic serial numbers which read the same both forward and backward — e.g., 12344321, or 77700777, etc. — hence the “radar” nickname for the bills.
And much like bills with other out-of-the-ordinary serial numbers (like 00000001 or 12345678, for example), there could be plenty of collectors or numerology fans willing to pay big bucks for a specimen.
“Radar notes … are very popular and can command a premium, but most people do not really pay attention,” says Doug Mudd, the curator and director of the American Numismatics Association’s Edward C. Rochette Money Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mudd tells Nexstar that certain “radar” notes are more valuable than others, pointing specifically to higher denomination bills, as those are generally “produced in smaller numbers and thus unusual number sequences are relatively less common.” Some collectors might also prize a bill with a repeating “radar” serial number (containing essentially two palindromic four-digit portions, such as 12211221 or 54455445) or a “super radar” serial number (with only repeating digits in the center, like 01111110 or 12222221), according to the online resource My Currency Collection or the appraisal firm Executive Currency.
In the past, U.S. banknotes with palindromic serial numbers have sold for well over a thousand dollars at auction (and sometimes more, for older examples), according to data from Heritage Auctions.
More run-of-the-mill “radar” bills — without any fancy repeating or “super” serial numbers — have generally sold for much less, but still well above face value. Confirmed sales on eBay show a $1 with a 63122136 serial number selling this week for $70, while a “super radar” $1 banknote sold for just under $170.
But despite their appeal to certain collectors, Mudd points out that “radar” serial numbers are only “exactly as rare as any other number,” mathematically speaking. The only difference is that some people get “weird” about special combinations or sequences.
“Again, [it’s] another niche collecting area,” Mudd says, “but with greater significant value to the right audience.”
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