How Much Are Old $50 Bills Worth?

Value of Old Fifty Dollar Bills

Most people approach us with an old $50 bill thinking they’ve just hit the jackpot. While this is sometimes the case, most of the time it’s not. It’s strange, you’d think a bill from the 1800s would always be more valuable than one from the 1900s. We’ve paid thousands of dollars for a 1970s $50 bill with a rare serial number, and a few bucks for an old $50 bill from the 1800s. It really all depends on multiple factors we go over in this guide. Don’t let that discourage you, though. Contact us with a clear image if you think you have something rare.

Determining the value of an old fifty dollar bill can’t be done with a google search, you must get a paper money expert involved. Old $50 bills dated 1928 and later were only printed in three different seal colors: Green, Gold, and Brown.

There are a few areas you need to focus on when determining the value of old fifty dollar bills.

Condition: I’ve paid $55 for an old beat-up fifty dollar bill that, if in perfect condition, I would have paid over $2,500 for. Condition is key when dealing with any collectible.

Popularity: For one reason or another, some old fifty dollar bills are simply worth more due to popularity. People may be willing to spend more money on a bill that’s popular regardless if they are common and in poor condition.

Rarity: Unfortunately, you cannot be told to “Google it” when it comes to the rarity of your $50 bill. Rarity is based on the number known to exist and number printed. The rarer your old fifty dollar bill is, the higher the chance it’s worth more money.

Market: This ties in with rarity. You could have the rarest 1853 $50 bill in the world but if there’s no demand in the market, it won’t be worth much. With how small the currency collectible community can be at times, some old bills aren’t worth as much as we’d like to imagine.

Provenance: This factor isn’t common but a $50 bill that was part of a famous persons’ collection should bring more value, simply for that fact. It’s good to know this typically only matters with lower value items. An old rare $50 bill in a mint condition worth $35,000 will probably not add much more value if it was part of a famous person collection.

Serial Number: This is one of my favorite value-determining factors. If you look at the first $50 bill picture on this page, you’ll notice the serial number: A00000001A also known as Serial Number 1. This factor alone will heavily impact value in a positive way. Another example would be if the serial number was A00001991A might be important for a person born in 1991. Some people like solid serial numbers like A88888888A as number 8 is also considered lucky in many cultures.

If you have questions about your old $50 bill and are interested in selling it to us, or simply want to know its value, we would be happy to give our expert opinion on its value.

All the old $50 bills shown in this guide are small size bills with Ulysses S. Grant’s portrait at the center. Many people approach us with $50 bills asking us for our opinion. We love dealing with the public and buying old $50 bills for our collection! 

Fifty dollar bills were printed in different types:

• Green Seal Federal Reserve Notes
• Gold Seal Gold Certificate Notes
• Brown Seal National Bank Notes

When trying to determine the value for an old $50 bill, it’s important to remember condition is always a very important factor to consider. However, there are instances where regardless of the condition your bill will be worth a lot of money. It honestly comes down to the combination of factors that determine value. If you don’t want to spend time learning, we understand. Contact us today and we’ll give you an answer right away.

$50 Green Seal Federal Reserve Notes (1928 – Present)

The note pictured above is what collectors call a green seal “numeral type” federal reserve note. Numeral, meaning number, because of the number located on the left side of the bill. If you pick a note out of your purse or wallet and look at it, you won’t see that number there. This is specific to the 1928 series banknotes, for every denomination.

$50 Gold Seal Gold Certificate Notes (1928)

Small size gold certificate bills are some of my favorite type of notes to collect. What makes them so unique is before 1934 you were able to take one of these bills to a local bank and exchange it for its equal value in gold at the time. These are typically worth $100 to $300, but we’ve paid thousands if the grade deems fit.

$50 Brown Seal National Bank Notes (1929 & 1934)

All small size, like pictured above, national bank notes will have brown seals and serial numbers. The value of these notes relies heavily on the state and issuing bank. Sometimes these notes can be worth $70, other times they’ll be worth thousands.

Still can’t find your old $50 bill? Check out our full $50 value and price guide.

There currently isn’t anyone who can offer more money for your old $50 bills than us. Why?

Simple.

We don’t have to pay hundreds of employees like others. This allows us to pay you more money than anyone else. We want to buy your old paper money collections and I assure you’ll be satisfied dealing with us. We’ve made the process extremely simple, contact us today we’d love to chat.

Learn More About Values Of Old Paper Money

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