1934 $50 Bill Value

The series is printed on the face near Grant's portrait, and the district letter is inside the black seal at left and at the start of the serial number. Five series exist, and Greysheet prices them differently, so the series letter is the first thing to read.

The signatures follow the series letter, as on the other 1934 notes: Julian and Morgenthau on 1934 and 1934A, Julian and Vinson on 1934B, Julian and Snyder on 1934C, and Clark and Snyder on 1934D, per the uspapermoney.info tables for the 1934 series.

Two of the highest ceilings on the whole list belong to Dallas: $55 to $1,000 for a Series 1934 note and $50 to $950 for 1934C. Chicago and Minneapolis are the next tier on Series 1934, at $425 and $600.

In circulated grades those differences shrink to almost nothing. A folded Dallas 1934 fifty still sits near the $55 floor. The district premium is a premium for uncirculated paper from a district that saved fewer notes.

Most 1934 fifty stars show no price on Greysheet at all, which for notes this old usually means too few sales to average. Two are priced, and they show how big the gap is.

The note in the photo is a Series 1934 from Kansas City: J in the seal and at the start of the serial, and the number 10 printed four times on the face for the tenth district. Every small size Federal Reserve Note repeats its district number that way, 1 for Boston through 12 for San Francisco, and it should always match the seal letter.

The back shows the U.S. Capitol. A 1934 fifty has no IN GOD WE TRUST on the back; the motto came to the fifty in a later series. If yours has a yellow seal or a blue seal instead of green, it is not a Federal Reserve Note, and none of the prices here apply.

Greysheet's floor for a worn 1934 fifty is only $5 above face, and it lists uncirculated examples for nearly every district and series. A ninety year old fifty is not scarce just because it is old. What is scarce is a ninety year old fifty that was never folded.

It also means condition is everything when you price one. Tilt the note under a light and look for fold lines. A note with no folds and sharp corners is the top of its range; one or two light folds put it well below that; a soft, creased note is a $50 to $60 note in any series.

Dealers and Greysheet describe these notes by Friedberg catalog number. The five series are Fr. 2102 (1934), 2103 (1934A), 2104 (1934B), 2105 (1934C) and 2106 (1934D). A letter after the number gives the district, and a star marks a replacement note. The note in the photo is Fr. 2102-J: Series 1934, Kansas City.

Knowing the number makes searching auction archives much faster. Search for the full Friedberg number plus a grade, such as Fr. 2102-K 64, and you will see what that exact note has sold for.

The note in the photo has a bright, light green Treasury seal. On the 1934 ten, collectors pay more for that light seal in top grades. Greysheet does not split the fifty by seal shade, so if yours has a light seal, look for comparable sales before you accept a price.

The wording left of the portrait reads legal tender for all debts and redeemable in lawful money. The 1928 fifties before it promised redemption in gold, so that line is a quick way to tell the two apart.

The photo also shows serial number 7. Low serial numbers carry their own premium on any series, separate from everything in the tables above. Our low serial number guide covers how collectors price them.

Greysheet lists every 1934A district except Philadelphia at the same $55 to $1,000, with Minneapolis shown but unpriced. A range that wide and uniform tells you the top grades are scarce across the board for that series, so a crisp 1934A from any district deserves a careful look.

Series 1934B is missing from Boston and New York in Greysheet's list and runs $50 to $475 for the ten districts it covers. 1934C covers eleven districts, with Dallas at $950 and Chicago at $550 standing well above the $250 top of the rest.

Series 1934D is the opposite: eight districts listed, all at $50 to $275, the narrowest band of the five series. The one big exception is its New York star, priced at $250 to $5,000.

A circulated 1934 fifty is still legal tender, and spending it at face loses you only a few dollars against the collector floor. Keeping it costs nothing. Selling it to a dealer usually brings a little over face.

A crisp note, any Dallas, Chicago or Minneapolis note in nice condition, and any star belong with a dealer or auction house that handles small size currency, ideally after grading for the higher value notes. Our selling guide and grading scale cover the steps.

The fifty was printed alongside the 1934 $10, the 1934 $20 and the 1934 $100, all with the same series letters and signatures. If your fifty is from 1969, the 1969 $50 page covers that series.

For anything with a star, our star note guide explains how replacement notes were used and why so few early ones survive.