Keep holding on to those $2 bills — soon there may be none left to collect.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary next month, the US Mint is celebrating the milestone with special coin releases, but the semiquincentennial also marks a pause in $2 bill printing.
The Federal Reserve’s print order for $2 bills this year displayed a range of 0 to 0. There are currently roughly 1.8 billion $2 bills in circulation — the highest volume in the past 20 years, according to Federal Reserve data.
There are currently about 2.4 billion $10 bills and 3.7 billion $5 bills in circulation, which makes $2 bill printing less of a priority.
The $2 bill was first reintroduced in 1976 for America’s bicentennial after a printing pause from 1966 to 1976. During those ten years, people began collecting the bills instead of using them. With less wear-and-tear on the bills, there is less need to print replacements.
In 2025, the bureau printed between 307.2 million and 416 million new $2 bills, a quota that exceeds the bill’s economic demand. Even though the bill only costs .2 cents to produce per bill, the decreased reliance on physical cash and the hoarding of these bills make their printing unwarranted.
Despite the decade-long pause this past century, $2 bills have been consistently printed for 160 years.
Yet people remain skeptical of $2 bills.
“Half the people I tip them with are excited to get a $2 bill regardless of whether it’s a good tip or not, the other half think it’s fake,” one Reddit user wrote. Another user said they had to explain to their co-workers in retail that $2 bills are US legal tender.
Unaccustomed to using $2 bills, Gen Z customers have even reported being accused of using counterfeit bills when trying to pay with them
The board has issued zero-print orders to the $2 bill in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023, based on yearly reports of the amount in circulation.
While there are no new 250th edition $2 bills to collect, the US Mint is releasing special circulating coins with designs and special edition collectible coins with 1776-2026 displayed. There won’t be any new pennies, but the U.S. Mint will have dimes, quarters and half-dollar coins with new designs.
The Treasury Department is also looking to produce a $250 bill with President Trump’s face and signature, as a nod to America’s 250th birthday.
U.S Currency Auctions have continued to list $2 bill pricings for vintage bills and suggest that some $2 bills can be worth hundreds or thousands. Circulated bills can have an average value between $2 and $2,500, and uncirculated bills can be between $2 and $4,500, as of 2023.
The USCA continues to update the average value prices of $2 bills based on money auction results and price retail sales for $2 bills.
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