Collectors are willing to pay a small fortune for 'radar' bills that could be hiding in your wallet. A 'radar' bill is a note with a palindrome serial number, a sequence that reads the same forward and backward. An example of a palindrome would be 12344321, but several conditions and patterns determine the value collectors are willing to pay.
Value and Patterns of Radar Bills
Typically, $1 'radar' bills sell for between $10 and $50 and can feature multiple patterns such as quad center, radars, and super radars. A super radar has only two different numbers, with the first and last digits identical and the middle six all the same numeral. An example would read as 32222223. The probability of having a super radar bill is one out of 1,111,111 notes, according to PCGS.
Higher Denominations and Rare Sales
Heritage Auctions have seen bills with palindromic serial numbers sell for much higher than $1,000, according to KTLA. Those rare serial bills were listed on eBay between $10 and $400 at the time of this report. A 'radar' bill is identified by its serial number, located below the G on the left side of the bill, such as the number 57000075. Larger notes, like the $20 bill pictured, are at times more valuable because they are generally 'produced in smaller numbers and thus unusual number sequences are relatively less common,' said Doug Mudd, curator and director of the American Numismatic Association's Edward C. Rochette Money Museum, to KTLA.
Not Just $1 Bills
Radar bills are not limited to the $1 note; all denominations can feature these rare patterns. Mudd explained that larger bills are more valuable due to lower production numbers, making unusual sequences less common. However, he added that radar bills often go unnoticed because most people are not looking for them. 'Again, [it's] another niche collecting area,' Mudd told the outlet, 'but with greater significant value to the right audience.'
Other Rare Serial Numbers and Coins
Collectors and numerologists are interested not only in radar bills but also in serial numbers that are out of the ordinary, such as 10000000 or 12345678. If your wallet is empty of any cash, check your piggy bank for a rare quarter from 1970 that could be worth $35,000. To find out if you have one, look carefully, perhaps with a magnifying glass, for a faint trace of the year '1941' upside-down just above the word 'dollar'. However, the chances of owning one are highly unlikely as proof coins like these are not intended for circulation. For something less pricey, similar 1970 quarters are being sold for $2,500 and $5,000 on eBay.
