The $2 Legal Tender Notes – True-Blue Pieces of United States History

These special $2 legal tender notes were first created by a congressional act in 1862 and would continue to be produced until 1966 when their regular production ceased. These special $2 bills would return in 1976, but this time as federal reserve notes…and they would only be produced in specific year-batches. Since 1976 we have only seen 5 groups of $2 notes created by the U.S. Treasury: 1995, 2003, 2009, 2013, and 2017!

When you talk about $2 legal tender notes with collectors, you will primarily be talking about three specific small-sized note designs: the 1928, the 1953, and the 1963.

These notes were the last of the ‘Red Seal’ $2 notes created by the United States Government (the bicentennial release in 1976 was a Green Seal note)

The 1928 $2 legal tender note is iconic due to its status as the first small-sized $2 note ever made and the first U.S. Mint issue to feature Thomas Jefferson & his home at Monticello. Add in the fact that it is almost 100 years old and you have a must-own for all collectors.

This design would remain unchanged until 1953, when the U.S. Treasury shrank their seal and superimposed it over the word ‘TWO’ (The reverse would remain unchanged).

The final design change to the $2 legal tender note occurred in 1963 when the Motto ‘In God We Trust’ was added to the reverse over Monticello and the words “Will Pay to the Bearer on Demand” was removed from the obverse.