$2 Bill

Q: When I was going through my father’s belongings after he died, I found a framed photo of a horseracing scene above an uncirculated U.S. $2 bill with gold embossing. The framed pieces are titled “The $2 Bill,” and between the photo and the bill are these words: “The two-dollar bill with its unique gold embossing and portrait of a smiling Thomas Jefferson was the favorite of Nevada sportsmen and countless American horseracing enthusiasts. It was retired from circulation in 1966 never again to adorn the winner’s circle.” The bill shows it’s from “Series of 1928 F” and the signatures on it are “W.A. Julian” and “John W. Snyder.” Can you tell me anything about this?

A: The $2 bill was introduced in the United States in 1862. All U.S. paper currency was produced in its current size starting with Series 1928, and the bills began circulating in 1929. The $2 bill was discontinued by the U.S. Treasury in 1966, but it was reintroduced in 1976. The bills have not been widely used by the American public, but they’re favorites at horseracing tracks where the minimum bid is $2. The signatures on your bill indicate that it was issued between 1946 and 1949, when William Alexander Julian was U.S. Treasurer and John W. Snyder was the Secretary of the Treasury. The gold embossing was done by a private company, not by the U.S. Mint. An uncirculated $2 bill the series and age of yours could sell for about $35. We spotted another framed collage like yours mounted with a Series 1963 A $2 bill. It sold online for $20.