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Large-size vs small-size US paper
Before 1929 the notes were big. After that they are the size in your wallet. Large is not automatically rare. Small is not automatically face. Read the type.
Until 1929, US paper was large-size. Bigger than a modern bill. In 1929 the Treasury shrank the notes to the size you carry now. That is the split.
Large-size is not a synonym for rare. There are common large notes and rare ones. Small-size is not a synonym for face. There are collected small notes. Star notes. Gold certificates. Silver certificates. Nationals.
What we look at
Type. Seal color. Series. Signatures. Condition. A hole and tape are not “character.” They are damage.
A large-size legal tender or silver certificate in decent shape is a collected note. A beat one can still be a type note. A common 1957 silver certificate is a dollar at the bank and a small premium here if it is crisp. Silver certificates.
What people get wrong
- “It’s old so it’s worth a lot” — old is not rare.
- “The big ones are all Confederate” — no. Confederate notes are their own pile.
- “I found a star” — sometimes that matters. Usually it is a small extra. Star notes.
Bring them flat, not folded in a wallet for another decade.