Collectors call 1868 $2 bills lazy deuces. The nickname derives from the fact that the large two on the front of each bill is laying on its side. At some point someone said the term lazy deuce and it stuck. The two dollar national bank note was discontinued in 1878, so that leaves just a ten year production period. Most 1868 two dollar bills are very scarce today. The most common examples in poor condition are worth around $1,000. Examples from rare banks or bills that are in perfect condition are worth and sell for several thousand dollars or more. Even if a bank was open in 1868 it didn’t necessarily print two dollar bills. There were plenty of dollar coins circulating in the 1860s, so a lot of national banks didn’t bother to print one and two dollar bills because the need was already being satisfied by coinage. Even if a bank did choose to print 1868 two dollar bills, they were still only printed at a rate of one two dollar bill for every three one dollar bill. Most banks that did print $2 bills almost always issued less than 10,000 examples over the entire life of the bank. You can see why some are so rare and valuable today.
Remember that Series of 1875 can also printed on $2 bills in addition to the 1868 charter date. These notes can have a red seal that is spiked or rounded. Each two dollar bill may or may not have a red charter number stamped on its face. It all depends on when the bill was actually printed between 1868 and 1878.
We provide free appraisals for all national currency. Send us a picture of your bank note and we would be happy to tell you how much it is worth. We can also provide our buy and sell prices.
Sales@AntiqueMoney.com – (864) 430-4020
The following national banks printed 1868 $2 bills:
- Charter 1678 – Union Stock Yards National Bank of Chicago, Illinois
- Charter 1684 – Pacific National Bank of Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Charter 1687 – Farmers National Bank of Bangor, Maine
- Charter 1683 – First National Bank of Mankato, Minnesota
- Charter 1683 – First National Bank & Trust Company of Mankato, Minnesota
- Charter 1686 – First National Bank of Faribault, Minnesota
- Charter 1677 – Greene County National Bank of Springfield, Missouri
- Charter 1688 – First National Bank of Hillsborough, New Hampshire
- Charter 1681 – Princeton National Bank, New Jersey
- Charter 1682 – State National Bank of Raleigh, North Carolina
- Charter 1676 – First National Bank of Honeybrook, Pennsylvania
- Charter 1685 – First National Bank of Sharon, Pennsylvania
- Charter 1680 – Carolina National Bank of Columbia, South Carolina
