" * " In Serial Number On Currency

the star means its a replacement note, in that the one with that serial number without the star had an error and that one was printed with the star on the end to replace the note that the BEP saw an error on. Until 1980 a star is used to represent the 100 millionth note since the serial numbering machinery only has eight digits from what I have read

actually this is information I am almost positive I have gotten from here since I never even messed with notes until I came here. The 100 millionth note thing I think I may have read somewhere else, I will look for it later on. I am still no note expert as I only look for serial numbers and star notes and just keep the ones I think are interesting so I do not have any books on them and just gather information as I read what is posted here


Edit: Just looked, here is one website with the same information http://www.daggarjon.com/Explain_Star_Notes_US.php



Also on that site it does say the serial number does not have to match the "bad" note



If this 100 millionth information is wrong there seems to be quite a few people spreading it around including an article in Coin World stating the same thing

Thanks for weighing in Ceylon, (I knew that if I refuted the info given there on my own, I would appear to be nothing more than argumentative).

The first star notes were indeed Vernon/McClung black eagles, and this was done at a time when there was no suffix letter on the serial number, so that also is a first... the problem with all of these specific names and dates and range of first star serial numbers is (that at the time) star notes actually were printed after the normal notes, and the serial number on the star note was exactly the same serial number as that on the note that it replaced with the exception of the star prefix and letter suffix, and these star notes were printed individually when an error in the normal run was discovered..... the normal notes were printed in numerical order and had no zeros preceding the normal numbers... (single digit numbers preceded two digit serial numbers), etc, etc..... seven digit serial numbers would have been down the road in the production of the series... The first stars did not have seven digit serials, and they were not printed in a run of 100 (I guarantee it). There are approximately 30 examples of these notes known today, here is mine (six digit serial).





Here is another for sale:

http://cgi.ebay.com/FR-229-1899-STA...em35b111c13f




Okay Bryan, that is understandable.... I misinterpreted what you mentioned earlier....
Nevertheless, a star note is a replacement note despite the reason for replacement.... A note with a serial number containing eight zeros would be considered an error note as this number is not recognized as a normal run number..... This crosses the line into trivia in my opinion though as I was speaking in the broad sense of what the general public and collecting world considers the purpose of a star note..... since we are here in the land of trivia though, allow me to illustrate a caveat to the notion of "replacement"....

Quite a while after the series 1969 $1 notes had all been printed and dispersed, 13,000 sheets of second printing notes were discovered at the BEP.... what to do with them....? The decision was made to print serial numbers and disperse them..... the serial numbers started at C05120000* and went up..... 416,000 notes... they were all stars, and they replaced nothing.

The BEP, and the private companies in New York that printed U.S. currency have changed the way they do things many times in the past 140+ years.... lumping all star notes into one basket and saying "this is the way they were all created" is folly.

Zeewool's photo reminds me of when I used to collect large size notes back in the 80's...
If memory serves, replacement notes received a hollow star, and a solid star was NOT a replacement note...

so all of my information was correct, just a little dated then correct? I knew I had read that information here somewhere at some time I just didn't know it applied at one time and not another, Now I know. I am definitely in no position to argue any facts when it comes to US Notes of any era and most of what I say is what I have read from others and was accepted as truth at the time and try to pass on that information when asked

Yeah Bryan, your info was correct.... I just misunderstood at first, and was unaware of the 100 millionth thing, but it does make sense.... The time frame in which this would be true was a relatively narrow one though.

You are partially correct Broken-Coin.....Large size notes with a solid star are not replacement notes..... Large size notes with a hollow star are replacement notes.... Small size notes with either solid or hollow stars are replacement notes.... early notes 1928, 1929, 1934 used a solid star..... later notes 1935 to current, used a hollow star.

That is the way it is supposed to work peiper..... the district of the error note is meant to be replaced by a star note of the same district.... each Federal Reserve Bank operates as an individual company, and the banknotes are controlled at both dispersal and redemption by denomination and district letter or number.

That is correct and the current SOP.

Also short run stars replace large run stars when there is an issue with the large run stars.

I have privately posed this question to numerous folks in the currency arena who know more about this than me. Simple answer given to me is that "the BEP does what it wants" - this is fact. Interestingly I have heard / read Dept of Treasury has told the BEP that they are not happy with some of the things BEP does and for lack of better term "stop it". So who knows what happens in the future.




This was done to save money / cost of production as it is rather time consuming to match stars by district. Also you do not need to take my word rather look at the star runs VS regular production runs meaning not all districts have stars printed for a particular series.

Also stars can cross series year (mix and match). This too is fact.