It would be logical to think that the value of the cash in your wallet is printed right there on the face of the bill. But that assumption could end up costing you.

According to Wealthy Nickel, a rare printing error by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing has made some $1 bills worth up to a whopping $150,000 to collectors. Here’s what you should know before you spend any potentially valuable currency.

The Big Whoops

In November 2014, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing sent an order to print a batch of $1 bills to its Washington, D.C., facility. Then, in July 2016, it accidentally sent the same printing order to its Fort Worth, Texas, facility.

The result: Millions of $1 bills entered circulation with duplicate serial numbers. Because every U.S. bill is supposed to have a unique serial number, the mistake created matching bills that collectors now consider one of the most unusual modern currency errors.

Rather than making the bills worthless, the printing blunder has made them highly desirable. Collectors are searching for matching pairs of the duplicate notes and, in exceptional cases involving bills in excellent condition, may be willing to pay as much as $150,000 for a complete matched set. 

How To Tell If Your $1 Bill Is Valuable

Not every $1 bill with an unusual serial number is worth a fortune. The most sought-after notes all share three specific characteristics:

Series 2013: Look for the words “Series 2013” printed near George Washington’s portrait.

A “B” Federal Reserve Seal: The letter “B” indicates the bill was issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A Star Serial Number in a Specific Range: The serial number must end with a star (*) and fall within one of these ranges:
B00000001* through B00250000*
B03200001* through B09600000*

If your bill checks all three boxes, it could be one half of a rare duplicate pair created by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s error.

However, finding one of the bills is only part of the challenge. The biggest payouts go to collectors who can match their note with its duplicate — another bill carrying the exact same serial number — which is no small feat.

Although more than 6.4 million duplicate notes entered circulation, only nine matching pairs have so far been reunited. The highest estimates of up to $150,000 apply to exceptionally rare matched pairs in top condition. Single notes can still fetch you a couple hundred dollars but generally command far less than a complete pair.

What Should You Do If You Find One?

If you discover a qualifying bill, avoid folding it or spending it. Keep it in a protective currency sleeve and record the serial number. Collectors maintain online databases, such as Project 2013B, to help owners determine whether the matching bill has already surfaced. If you eventually locate the duplicate, having both notes professionally authenticated and graded can significantly increase what collectors are willing to pay.

Other $1 Bills That Could Be Worth More Than Face Value

Even if that single dollar hiding under your couch cushion isn’t one of the rare duplicate serial number notes, it could be worth more than its face value. Currency collectors also pay premiums for certain other $1 bills, including:

Star Notes: Bills with a star (*) at the end of the serial number are replacement notes printed to take the place of bills damaged during production. While most are worth only a small premium, low-print-run star notes or those in pristine condition can be significantly more valuable.

Unusual Serial Numbers: Collectors seek out bills with unusual serial numbers, such as all the same digit (11111111), ladders (12345678), radars (a palindrome like 12344321), repeaters, or very low serial numbers such as 00000025. Depending on the pattern and condition, these bills can sell for significantly more than their face value.

Printing Errors: Notes with major production mistakes — such as missing serial numbers, off-center printing, inverted overprints, or missing seals — are among the most desirable modern error notes. Some have sold for hundreds of dollars at auction.

So, before you shove that next dollar bill into a tip jar, it may be worth taking a closer look. You never know when an ordinary buck could turn out to be worth a small fortune.

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Retailers are always looking for ways to sell customers on their products. Sometimes they succeed because of a clever marketing campaign, while other times they may discount the item as part of a seasonal sale. 

But another common sales tactic has to do with human psychology — specifically, items can be priced to manipulate buyers into thinking they’re getting a great deal. Take the concept of “charm pricing,” for example, which isn’t as charming as the name implies. Let’s look at how it works.

A Pricing Scheme That Works Like a Charm

The next time you wander through the aisles of any retail establishment, take a look at all the prices. You’ll probably see far more price tags ending in .99 than .00. For instance, you may notice a package of fresh strawberries being sold for $4.99 instead of a flat $5. This is also a common phenomenon when you’re making digital purchases, as a monthly Netflix subscription costs $19.99 instead of an even $20. 

That’s charm pricing, which takes advantage of what’s called left-digit bias, where buyers place an unnecessarily strong emphasis on the first number they read. In layman’s terms, the brain thinks that $2.99 is closer to $2.00 than $3.00, even though that’s not the case. 

A Brief History of Charm Pricing

The idea of charm pricing indirectly began with a saloon owner named James Ritty. In 1879, he devised a plan to deal with clerks at his bar who he believed were pocketing money during transactions. Ritty created a new machine akin to the modern cash register so that each transaction could be recorded. Eventually, John H. Patterson — another business owner who was suspicious of his employees — bought Ritty’s company and the patent for the machines and began selling them. 

As the machine became more popular, retailers soon realized they should charge non-round numbers for goods. This forced store clerks to not only record each sale but also make change for the buyer, so they couldn’t secretly pocket the money.

Those early anti-theft practices made it more common for retailers to charge non-round prices. Not only that, but products priced in such a way often sold more than items that were selling for a round number. Charm pricing came about thereafter. 

Why We Fall for Charm Pricing

A 2020 study that analyzed charm pricing found that consumers believed the difference between $4.00 and $2.99 was wider than the gap between $4.01 and $3.00, despite the fact that the monetary difference in both examples is $1.01. Psychologically, however, the brain processes those prices in a way that clouds our judgment — we look at $2.99 and think “about $2” rather than “almost $3” — which in turn benefits retailers. 

Of course, charm pricing is nothing more than an illusion, but it’s one that appears to actually have an impact on what we’re willing to purchase.

It’s worth noting that charm prices don’t necessarily need to end in a 9, and it’s the first digit that’s most important. This is why you may see prices end with different digits depending on where you shop. For instance, an analysis by the Hustle determined that 7 was the most common final digit in the prices of more than 500 items on Walmart’s website, popping up in 32.9% of prices. But the reason 9 is so common elsewhere is that a single cent is the minimum that retailers can lower prices by while still utilizing charm pricing.

As customers, there’s not much we can do to stop or change charm pricing. But it’s worth being aware of so you don’t get tricked into thinking that you’re getting a good deal on something, when in reality you’re saving a single penny.

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For many Americans, vintage Pyrex dishes trigger a wave of nostalgia. But for collectors, that sentimental value can translate into serious cash.

The beloved kitchen brand, which has been a staple of family dinners for more than a century, is now a highly sought-after commodity, with some pieces selling for thousands of dollars among collectors. That means that you could have a small fortune stored beneath your sink or hidden away in your attic — as long as you know what you’re looking for.

What Is the Most Valuable Pyrex Piece? 

While Pyrex has gone through some changes in ownership and materials since it was first introduced in 1915, the company is still very much in business. And that’s part of the appeal: “One of the joys of collecting Pyrex is that valuable, sought-after pieces are still available,” Jolene Forrester, owner of JoRetro vintage shop in Havre de Grace, Maryland, which specializes in rare Pyrex pieces, told Country Living. 

Still, if you’re looking to score a major payday, it’s often the decades-old exclusive or promotional pieces that are the most valuable. The extremely rare “Lucky in Love” pattern, a mix of hearts and shamrocks that was introduced in 1959, is considered the holy grail among Pyrex collectors, as the design was never mass-produced. In 2022, a casserole dish with the print sold for a whopping $22,100 on eBay (though according to experts, most go for between $4,000 and $10,000).

Other prints that can command top dollar include 1957’s Pumpkin Orange Amish Butterprint, which can be worth between $800 and $1,600; 1960’s Atomic Starburst print, which can sell for $600 to $1,500; and Atomic Eyes pieces, which can fetch between $200 and $650. “[T]his is a turquoise blue or pink mid-century elongated eye-shaped pattern that was made from 1950 to 1959 in a chip and dip service,” glass specialist Reyne Hirsch, who has appeared on Antiques Roadshow and American Pickers, told Parade. “Later, a coffee carafe was also produced.”

What To Look For When Evaluating Pyrex

While rare patterns are one of the surest ways to guarantee the value of your Pyrex, they’re not the only factor used in determining worth. Certain colors can yield higher values, as can condition. 

Two colors to keep an eye out for, according to Forrester, are “pinks and turquoises, which instantly stand out and were produced in more limited quantities.” 

Hirsch agrees with those color choices, and notes that the more complete a set is, the better. (Think space-saving casserole dishes, nesting sets, and items that include their original lids.)

As with any valuable item, the closer it is to like-new condition, the more valuable it will be. “Even small damage greatly reduces the value of each item,” Hirsch told Parade. “The damaged value is often 10% to 20% of the value if it was [in mint condition].” 

While Pyrex dishes are typically dishwasher- and microwave-safe, if you have collectible pieces you want to keep in the best possible condition, you should avoid putting them in the microwave and always hand-wash them.

How Can I Tell If My Pyrex Is Worth Anything?

To determine whether that vintage dish gathering dust in your basement is worth anything, you need to authenticate it. The easiest way to do this is to first check for the Pyrex logo, which most items were stamped with.

Pyrex by Corning: A Collector’s Guide by Susan Tobier Rogove and Marcia Buan Steinhauer details nearly two dozen stamps used by the company between 1915 and 1965 to help you authenticate your piece and determine when it was made. A stamp that’s in all capital letters is often more valuable. If a piece’s color is faded, that can lower its value. “A lot of it was ruined by dishwashers,” vintage kitchenware seller David Ross told Martha Stewart Living.

Because Pyrex was made to be used, not displayed, valuable pieces are still hiding in kitchen cabinets, thrift stores, and attics across the country. So before you drop that old mixing bowl into the donation bin, you may want to flip it over and check the stamp first.

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