Serial Numbers You Don't Have To Ask About

Currently, star notes are typically printed at the beginning of a series. They are then used as replacements as needed (and not just for damaged notes. The BEP replaces certain serial number notes with stars as well. For example, Robert Azpiazu indicates in his The Collectors Guide to $1 FRNs that beginning with series 1988A that serial #00000002 notes are replaced with star notes).

Take a look at this table with data on 2017 $1 FRNs from USPaperMoney.Info (a GREAT website with just tons of information on US currency)


and you can see how the BEP is intermixing the printing of regular and star notes (BTW you can get this information directly from the BEP as well, but it's great that USPaperMoney.info compiles it for us in these easy to read tables. The BEPs information isn't presented as well IMHO).

For any given series, all that are initially printed may be used (and perhaps even more printed) or may not be. It all depends upon how many replacements are needed. If they aren't all used then eventually the remainder will be destroyed, as they were never officially "money". That is they were never delivered to the Federal Reserve and monetized by the Fed (remember it's just paper until those serial numbers are entered into the Fed's system and they say it's money ).

Right, very interesting.

Definitely agree on this!