Each Federal Reserve note includes identifiers that provide information about the note, such as designating the year in which the note’s design was approved. Learn about these note identifiers by clicking on the image below.
Serial Number
A unique combination of eleven numbers and letters appears twice on the front of the note. Each note has a unique serial number. The first letter of the serial number corresponds to the series year.
| Year | Series Letter | Year | Series Letter | Year | Series Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | A | 2003A | F | 2009 | J |
| 1999 | B | 2004A | G | 2009A | L |
| 2001 | C | 2006 | H | 2013 | M |
| 2003 | D | 2006 | I | 2017 | N |
| 2004 | E | 2006A | K | 2017A | P |
| Year | Series Letter |
|---|---|
| 1996 | A |
| 1999 | B |
| 2001 | C |
| 2003 | D |
| 2003A | F |
| 2004 | E |
| 2004A | G |
| 2006 | H |
| 2006 | I |
| 2006A | K |
| 2009 | J |
| 2009A | L |
| 2013 | M |
| 2017 | N |
| 2017A | P |
Serial: (10 or 11 green letters/numbers on the bill, if there is a. use Shift+8) denomination: $1 $2 $5 $10 $20 $50 $100 series: 2017A 2017 2013 2009A 2009 2006A 2006 2004A 2004 2003A 2003 2001 1999 1996 1995 1993 1990 1988A 1988 1985 1981A 1981 1977A 1977 1976 1974 1969D 1969C 1969B 1969A 1969 1966A 1966 1963B 1963A 1963.
A “star” suffix is used to identify notes that serve as replacements during the production process. If you'd like to learn more about the U.S. currency production process, please visit https://www.moneyfactory.gov/uscurrency/howmoneyismade.html.
Series Year
The series year indicates the year in which a new design was approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, or the year in which the signature of a new secretary or treasurer was incorporated into the design. Capital letters following the series year appear when there is a significant change in the note's appearance.
Federal Reserve Indicators
For denominations $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note has a letter and number designation that corresponds to one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. The letter of each indicator matches the second letter of the serial number on the note.
| Indicator | Bank | Indicator | Bank | Indicator | Bank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Boston | E5 | Richmond | I9 | Minneapolis |
| B2 | New York City | F6 | Atlanta | J10 | Kansas City, MO |
| C3 | Philadelphia | G7 | Chicago | K11 | Dallas |
| D4 | Cleveland | H8 | St. Louis | L12 | San Francisco |
| Indicator | Bank |
|---|---|
| A1 | Boston |
| E5 | Richmond |
| I9 | Minneapolis |
| B2 | New York City |
| F6 | Atlanta |
| J10 | Kansas City, MO |
| C3 | Philadelphia |
| G7 | Chicago |
| K11 | Dallas |
| D4 | Cleveland |
| H8 | St. Louis |
| L12 | San Francisco |
For denominations $1 and $2, the note includes a seal that identifies one of the 12 Federal Reserve banks.
Note Position Letter and Number
For denominations $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note position letter and number indicates in which position on a plate a note was printed. It is a combination of one letter and one number and can be found on the front of the note.
In 2014, the BEP began printing $1 notes on 50-subject sheets. For these larger sheets, the note position is identified by columns and rows rather than by quadrants. Note position identifiers on the 50-subject sheet ranges from A1 – J5.
Please view this video to learn more about the 50-subject production change.
Face and Back Plate Numbers
The face plate and back plate numbers identify the printing plates used to print each side of the note. The face plate number is found on the face of the note and the back plate number is found on the back.
Federal Reserve notes printed at the Fort Worth, Texas, facility of the Bureau of Engraving & Printing include a small “FW” in front of the face-plate number.
Treasury Seal
A green seal to the right of the portrait represents the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The design of the seal was changed to incorporate an English inscription and appears on all Federal Reserve notes of the 1969 series year or later.
The United States one dollar note contains a wealth of information about when and where that note was printed. Collectors can use this information to help understand the U.S. system of currency and to make collecting decisions.The Federal Reserve Seal and the Federal Reserve District Number.
There are twelve different Federal Reserve Banks responsible for printing paper money in the United States. On the one dollar bill, the bank can be quickly identified by a letter code in the Federal Reserve Seal to the left of the portrait of George Washington. The letter code is also found in the prefix of the serial number. A corresponding Federal Reserve District Number code is found in four locations. The following table is a handy reference for the bank codes:
| Reserve Bank | Letter | Designation |
| Boston | A | 1 |
| New York | B | 2 |
| Philadelphia | C | 3 |
| Cleveland | D | 4 |
| Richmond | E | 5 |
| Atlanta | F | 6 |
| Chicago | G | 7 |
| St. Louis | H | 8 |
| Minneapolis | I | 9 |
| Kansas City | J | 10 |
| Dallas | K | 11 |
| San Francisco | L | 12 |
Serial Numbers
The serial number of a bill appears twice, once in the lower left hand quadrant and again in the upper right hand quadrant on the front of the bill. The letter which precedes the numbers must be the same number that you saw identifying the Federal Reserve Bank. The last letter of the serial number or suffix letter identifies the number of times that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing used the sequence of serial numbers A is the first time, B is the second time, C is the third time and so on. With one run for each letter of the alphabet (26) and 32 bill per run, there are a total of 832 bills per serial number.
Series Date (or Series Year)
In the lower right quadrant between the portrait of George Washington and signature of the Secretary of the Treasury is the Series Date. This number is presented as a the year portion of a date - as in 2004 - and sometimes has a letter suffix - as in 2004A. It is important to note that there is not a series for every calendar year. A new series will result from a change in the Secretary of the Treasury, the Treasurer of the United States, and/or a change to the note's appearance such as a new currency design.
- Design Change - New series year (e.g. 1999).
- New Secretary of the Treasury - New series year (e.g. 1999).
- New Treasurer of the United States - A suffix letter is added to the current series year (e.g. 1999A).
Plate Serial Number
The Plate Serial Number appears twice: once on the front of the bill in the lower right quadrant above the Federal Reserve District Number, and again on the back in the lower right corner. It identifies the plate from which the note was printed.
Note Number Position
2 Dollar Serial Number Lookup
The Note Number Position appears in the upper left quadrant. It is a letter number combination that indicates which position on the plate the note was printed. The number indicates the quadrant and the letter indicates the position within the quadrant. The following chart shows this relationship:
| A1 | E1 | A3 | E3 |
| B1 | F1 | B3 | F3 |
| C1 | G1 | C3 | B3 |
| D1 | H1 | D3 | H3 |
| A2 | E2 | A4 | E4 |
| B2 | F2 | B4 | F4 |
| C2 | G2 | C4 | G4 |
| D2 | H2 | D4 | H4 |
Us Dollar Serial Number Lookup
The Great Seal of the United States
One Dollar Serial Number Lookup
The front (or obverse) of the seal shows an American bald eagle behind the national shield. The eagle holds an olive branch. The 13-letter motto, 'E Pluribus Unum,' on the ribbon held in the eagle's beak means 'Out of Many, One.'
Dollar Serial Number Lookup Value
On the reverse of the seal is a pyramid with 1776 in Roman numerals at the base. The pyramid stands for permanence and strength. The 13-letter motto, 'Annuit Coeptis' means 'He has favored our undertakings.' Below the pyramid the motto, 'Novus Ordo Seclorum' means 'A new order of the ages,' standing for the new American era.