Shocked man inherited ‘insane’ $5 bill from his grandma — here’s why it may be worth $400K
That’s mint!
A man who inherited a unique $5 bill from his late grandmother could be sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars now.
The front of the rare currency from 1988 features a misprint on its bottom right corner with unaligned ink that would normally appear on the reverse side.
Flipped over, the bottom left shows a blank area extending into the middle of the bill where printed information should be.
It went viral on TikTok with over 890,000 views when Charlotte Carroll, the girlfriend of the bill’s owner, Tommy, posted it with the caption, “It has to be the most insane banknote I have ever seen.”
“We have had people offer between $5 and $400,000 for it, and … we refuse,” Carroll told Newsweek, adding that she wanted to share it with her followers interested in money collecting.
Collectors Palm Island Coins of Florida said that “currency errors” like the inherited $5 are the most “dramatic” and coveted kind of money a person can have.
The sellers list a similarly faulty $1 bill for $1,249. Another strange $5 bill is on sale for $1,800 as well.
“They’re perfectly legal to own and have become an amazing part of the paper collecting hobby!” according to the company.
However, paper money expert Wyatt McDonald told Newsweek that misprints on more modern currency aren’t all that uncommon, nor do they fetch that much extra value — about only two or three times the bill’s worth at max, typically.
“Misprints on older currency can be very valuable, and the color of the seal is typically the best indicator. Vintage notes will have a red, blue, or gold seal on the front,” McDonald said.
“A misprint on a modern green seal note will generally only add a premium of a couple dollars. That said, they are excellent conversation starters and meaningful, sentimental items.”
In the case of Carroll and Tommy, they emphasize the sentimentality of their uncommon Abe Lincoln etching — one they refuse to sell.
“It is our most favorite, and priceless, piece out of anything in our collection,” Carroll told Newsweek.
